Journal of clinical laser medicine & surgery
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J Clin Laser Med Surg · Feb 2002
Lumbar percutaneous KTP532 wavelength laser disc decompression and disc ablation in the management of discogenic pain.
The objective of this research was to determine the outcome of laser disc decompression and laser disc ablation in the management of painful degenerative disc disease with or without associated disc prolapse. Nonendoscopic percutaneous laser disc decompression was performed under x-ray control via the posterolateral approach with side-firing probes. All patients with chronic back pain who had reproduced pain during discography of a nature, pattern, and distribution similar to what they experienced normally were included in the study. ⋯ It may suggest that efficacy occurs by reduction in the intradiscal production of irritative products and by an effect upon discal and annular neoneuralization. The sustained nature of the benefit after long-term preoperative symptoms (mean, 4.7 years) rules out any placebo effect. Selection should be restricted to patients without significant lateral recess stenosis, retrolisthesis or olisthesis of > or =3 mm, significant dorsal or foraminal osteophytosis, extrusion, or sequestration.