J Korean Orthop Assoc.  1986 Apr;21(2):202-210. 10.4055/jkoa.1986.21.2.202.

The Effect of Anterior Interbody Fusion in Lumbar Herniated Nucleus Pulposus

• Kim NH
• Seo IK

• KMID: 2445831
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.1986.21.2.202

Abstract

Low back pain and sciatica is one of the troublesome problems in the orthopedic field. Many authors reported the pathogenesis of the low back pain and sciaticadue to disc prolapse. Prior to 1934, when the connection between sciatica and disc prolapse was established, non-surgical management was almost always the therapy of choice. The surgical alternative, was established in the middle of the 1930's by the work of Mixter and Barr and others. Even if many patients obtained symptomatic relief from discectomy alone, many authors proposed intervertebral fusion to prevent aggravation of segmental instability. We reviewed the cases of 60 patients who underwent anterior lumbar spine fusion for herniated lumbar disc, and were followed for 10 months to 9 years from January 1975 to December 1984. We results were as follows. l. Among 60 patients, 45(75%) were successful, and 56(93.3%) were effective. 2. Fifty-eight patients(96.7%) showed bony union which took place in 7.9 months on an average. 3. Ambulation started with Knight-Kim type back brace in 10.2 days on an average after operation, and discharged in 11.5 days on an average. 4. When duration of symptoms was less than 6 months, and the involved level was confined in one level and was L4 intervertebral disc, the results were good. 5. Postoperative wound infection was noted in 5%, and 22 patients(36.7%) complained of postsympathectomy symptoms.

Keyword

Spine; Arthrodesis; Anterior; for lumbar disc herniation

MeSH Terms

Arthrodesis
Braces
Diskectomy
Humans
Intervertebral Disc
Low Back Pain
Orthopedics
Prolapse
Sciatica
Spine
Surgical Wound Infection
Walking