A study on long-term effects of microendoscopic discectomy for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation / 中国微创外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the long-term effects of microendoscopic discectomy for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. Methods A retrospective analysis was made on 218 cases of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion treated by microendoscopic discectomy. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scoring system for lumbar myelopathy was used to evaluate surgical outcomes for each patient. Results All the patients were followed for more than 3 years postoperatively. Excellent outcomes were achieved in 121 cases, good in 80 cases, fair in 16, and poor in 1, the rate of excellent or good outcomes being 92.2% (201/218) . Conclusions Microendoscopic discectomy for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation has definitive long-term effects. Skillful surgical performance and proper postoperative rehabilitation training are crucial to good surgical outcomes.