ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of ozone injection combined with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of far lateral lumbar disc herniation (FLLDH). Methods A total of 60 patients with FLLDH, who were admitted to authors’ hospital during the period from March 2013 to March 2014, were randomly and equally divided into the study group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Simple ozone injection treatment was employed for the patients of the control group, while ozone injection combined with radiofrequency ablation was adopted for the patients of the study group. The same other adjunctive medication was used in both groups. All the patients were followed up at one week as well as at one, 3 and 6 months after the treatment. The clinical effect and the complications of both g roups were recorded. Results Successful operation was obtained in all 60 patients, no perioperative complications occurred, and the technical success rate was 100%. The excellent clinical results evaluated at one week, and one, 3 and 6 months after the treatment in the control group and in the study group were 73.3%, 76.7%, 70%, 60% and 70%, 76.7%, 83.3%, 90% respectively. The 3-month and 6-month clinical results of the study group were significantly better than those of the control group. Conclusion For the treatment of FLLDH, ozone injection combined with radiofrequency ablation is safe and effective. This technique should be recommended in clinical practice.