Repeat discectomy for recurrent same level disc herniation: A literature review of the past 5 years

BACKGROUND: Recurrent disc herniations remain a challenge in spinal surgery. Although some authors recommend a repeat discectomy, others offer more invasive secondary fusions. Here, we reviewed the literature (2017–2022) regarding the safety/efficacy of treating recurrent disc herniations with repeated discectomy alone. METHODS: Our literature search of recurrent lumbar disc herniations included; Medline, PubMed, Google scholar, and the Cochrane database. We focused on the types of discectomy performed, perioperative morbidity, costs, length of surgery, pain scores, and incidence of secondary dural tears. RESULTS: We identified 769 cases that included 126 microdiscectomies, and 643 endoscopic discectomies. Rates of disc recurrence ranged from 1% to 25% with accompanying secondary durotomy varying from 2% to 15%. In addition, operative times were relatively short, ranging from 29.2 min to 125 min, with a relatively small average estimated blood loss (i.e., minimal to maximally 150 mls). CONCLUSION: Repeated discectomy was the most commonly performed treatment for same-level recurrent disc herniations. Despite minimal intraoperative blood loss and short operating times, there was a significant risk of durotomy. Notably, patients must be informed that more extensive bone removal for treating recurrent disc increases the risk for instability warranting subsequent fusion.