Clinical efficacy of transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation: a single-center retrospective analysis

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (TED) in treating recurrent lumbar disc herniation. METHODS: Clinical datal of 31 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Pain Management, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, between 2015 and 2018 due to recurrent lumbar disc herniation were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores were used to assess alterations of patients’ leg pain intensity and nerve function, respectively. The Modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate patients’ excellent and good rates. RESULTS: Compared to clinical data before surgery, there was a significant reduction in VAS scores (P < 0.01) along with a significant improvement in JOA scores (P < 0.01) at 2 years after revision surgery. The patients’ excellent and good rates were 83.9% at the 2 years after surgery. CONCLUSION: The TED is safe and effective in the long term and is applicable to the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation.