Degenerative Lumbar Disc Disease: A Questionnaire Survey of Management Practice in India and Review of Literature

Objective To identify the current management modalities practiced by neurosurgeons in India for degenerative lumbar disc disease. Materials and Methods Survey questionnaires were prepared in Google forms. It covered the following aspects of managing the lumbar disc pathology: (1) Demographic, institutional details, experience of surgeons, (2)choice of surgical procedures, (3) use of endoscopy and minimally invasive techniques, and (4) pre- and postoperative care. Responses obtained were entered in SPSS datasheet and analyzed. Results Of the 300 surveys sent, 80 were returned and response rate was 26.6%. But four surveys were highly incomplete and were discarded from the analysis. So, the study content is from the analysis of practices of 76 spinal surgeons working in different parts of the country. Majority of the spine surgeons ( n = 70) were neurosurgeons, while 6 were orthopaedic surgeons. Fifty-four were from urban area, 12 from semiurban area, and 10 from rural area. Forty-seven spine surgeons practiced in a teaching hospital. Total 73.6% of spine surgeons opted initial medical management. Sixty-three percent preferred microlumbar discectomy (MLD) and only eight neurosurgeons preferred minimally invasive techniques. None of the respondents used in situ fusion. Fifty-three percent of spine surgeons preferred early mobilization (first postoperative day). Fifty-nine percent preferred to follow-up patients clinically and opted for magnetic resonance imaging only when recurrence or infection was suspected. The institutional nature (government teaching, government nonteaching, private teaching, and private nonteaching) and location of the hospital (urban/semiurban/rural) were found to be influencing the preferred surgical technique, trial of medical management, or postoperative care and complications. Considerable practice variations exist for medical and perioperative management. Conclusion The preferred treatment of choice of majority was MLD, although laminectomy and discectomy were still used by many. Consensus lacks in the operative, perioperative, and postoperative management of degenerative disc disease. Present survey points toward the importance of making management guidelines for this common spinal surgical entity.