Tubular Microdiscectomy for Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Valuable Alternative to Endoscopic Techniques

Objective: The efficacy of tubular microdiscectomy (TMD) in the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation (rLDH) is still unclear, especially compared with the endoscopic technique. We performed a retrospective study to analyze this question.

Methods: We retrospectively included all patients with an rLDH confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging who underwent TMD between January 2012 and February 2019. The general data included sex, age, body mass index, level of rLDH, first surgical approach, reoperation interval, occurrence of dural leak, re-recurrence, and re-reoperation. The clinical outcome was evaluated using a visual analog scale for leg pain, and the modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate patient satisfaction.

Results: The visual analog scale score for leg pain was statistically significantly reduced from 7.46 preoperatively to 0.80 postoperatively (P < 0.00001), and the patient satisfaction was good or excellent in 85.7% of cases, according to the modified MacNab criteria. Complications occurred in 3 of the 15 included patients: 2 dural tears (13.3%) and 2 re-recurrence (13.3%), but none of the patients underwent a third surgical procedure.

Conclusions: TMD seems to be an efficient technique for the surgical treatment of leg pain caused by rLDH. In the literature, this technique seems to be at least as good as the endoscopic technique and is easier to master.