Comparative analysis of success rates and complications between lumbar microdiscectomy and open discectomy for lumbar disc herniation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the success rates and complications associated with lumbar microdiscectomy compared to open discectomy from a tertiary care hospital perspective.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted at the Neurosurgery Department of Lady Reading Hospital over four years (January 2020 to December 2023). Inclusion criteria comprised patients of all genders and ages who underwent single-level lumbar microdiscectomy or open discectomy. Exclusion criteria encompassed patients who underwent redo surgeries, or had incomplete data.

Results: In the study, 396 patients were enrolled, with 153 undergoing open discectomy and 243 undergoing microdiscectomy. The mean age of the participants was 40.42±11.49 years. Noteworthy findings from the analysis include that the success rates were 77.8% for open discectomy and 86.8% for microdiscectomy (p=0.050), while complications, specifically discitis, occurred in 2.6% of open discectomy patients and 0.4% of microdiscectomy patients (p=0.025).

Conclusion: Microdiscectomy exhibited higher success rates and lower complication rates than open discectomy for single-level lumbar disc herniation, underscoring its potential as a preferred surgical intervention.