Functional outcome of percutaneous spine endoscopic intervention in lumbar disc herniation- A retrospective analysis

Introduction: Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems among developed and developing nations. The prolapsed intervertebral disc (PIVD) is the most common pathology associated with treatable low back pain. The management protocol for PIVD has evolved from conservative treatment to surgical and finally to minimally invasive pain and spine interventions. Aims and Objectives: The aim of study was to evaluate the functional efficacy and patient satisfaction in PIVD patients with minimally invasive percutaneous endoscopic disc decompression (PEDD). Materials and Methods: All data was obtained from pain medicine OT records of tertiary hospital regarding epidemiological data, VAS score for pain, ODI score for functional outcome and Modified Macnab's criteria for patient satisfaction(Pre-op, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 1 year) were tabulated and statistically analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: There were 30 male and 26 female patients in our series with the mean age of the 42.09±10.57 years. The VAS score showed statistically significant improvement 3 months (P=0.034) and at 1 year (P=0.012) postoperative. The modified ODI score showed statistically significant improvement during 3 months (P= 0.015) and 1-year score (P=0.008). The modified MACNAB scores (P= 0.001) showed significant improvement in patient satisfaction. One patient had a recurrence and opted for conventional surgical management. Few patients had transient side effects (dysesthesia-7, mild weakness-1) which improved with conservative measures. Conclusion: We conclude that percutaneous endoscopic disc decompression for single-level lumbar disc herniation is a safe, effective and low-cost definitive treatment modality with minimal complications.