The effectiveness of non-surgical treatments, re-discectomy and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in post-discectomy pain syndrome

There have been many studies that reported various treatment options about recurrent disc herniation, recurrent sciatica, and low back pain following discectomy. However, evaluation and treatment algorithm of post-discectomy pain syndrome (PDPS) could not be standardized. The purpose of this study was to report the results of patients with PDPS who were treated with various treatment options with a minimum 2-year follow-up. We retrospectively evaluated 54 of 75 patients with PDPS who had no response to 12 weeks of conservative treatment between 2009 and 2014. Fifteen of 21 patients with re-herniation who did not respond to non-surgical treatments benefited from re-discectomy. Twenty-seven patients eventually underwent minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) surgery and 12 patients, who had no need for surgery, responded well to the non-surgical treatments. All patients were evaluated using the 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) preoperatively and at the post-treatment or postoperative follow-ups. Pre-treatment mean VAS score of the patients who benefited from non-surgical treatments was 7.9. The mean VAS score decreased to 2.1 at the final follow-up. The mean pre-treatment ODI was 46%, which decreased to 25.9% at the final follow-up. Preoperative mean VAS score of the patients who were treated with MIS-TLIF surgery was 8.1. The average VAS score decreased to 1.8 at the final follow-up. The mean preoperative ODI was 48%, which decreased to 24.2% at the final follow-up. Twelve of 54 patients with PDPS regardless of underlying etiology benefited from non-surgical treatments. Fifteen of 21 patients with re-herniation benefited from re-discectomy. MIS-TLIF is found as a highly effective procedure for the relief of post-discectomy pain that is resistant to non-surgical treatment options and for patients who had a second re-herniation.