• Fredrik Strömqvist, Bo Jönsson, Björn Strömqvist, and Swedish Society of Spinal Surgeons.
• Department of Orthopedics, Lund University Hospital, 22185, Lund, Sweden. bjorn.stromqvist@med.lu.se
• Eur Spine J. 2010 Mar 1; 19 (3): 439-42.

AbstractIn lumbar disc herniation surgery, dural lesions seem to be the most common complication today. Studies on incidence of and outcome after a dural lesion are mainly based on retrospective studies. In a prospective study within the framework of the Swedish Spine Register, 4,173 patients operated on for lumbar disc herniation were evaluated using pre- and 1-year postoperative protocols and complication registration. Mean patient age was 41 (18-81) years and 53% of the patients were male. 93% of the operations were performed on the two lowermost lumbar levels. The incidence of dural lesions in the material was 2.7%. In patients with previous disc surgery, the incidence was doubled, 5%, a significant increase (P = 0.02). Patients with dural lesions preoperatively had more back pain and inferior scores in general health and role emotional domains of the SF-36. These factors, however, were because they had been operated on previously, not related to the dural lesion as such. The relative improvement after surgery was similar whether a dural lesion had occurred or not. It is concluded that a dural lesion is a technical complication which must be solved at the time of surgery but which does not bear any negative implications on the long-term outcome for the patient.

21 keywords...

hide…