Minimally invasive treatment of far lateral lumbar disc herniation: Selective nerve root block with percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy.

Background: Far lateral lumbar disc herniation (FLLDH) is a special type of lumbar disc herniation with high rate of missed diagnosis. Selective nerve root block (SNRB) has special advantages in identifying the responsible nerve root. Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) is a minimally invasive and effective method to treat FLLDH. However, no report has investigated PTED combined with SNRB to treat FLLDH.

Aim: To explore the diagnosis and treatment process, surgical technique and clinical efficacy of PTED combined with SNRB to treat FLLDH.

Methods: This is a multicenter center, retrospective, observational study. Between January 2020 and January 2022, 32 patients were initially diagnosed with FLLDH. All the patients were identified using SNRB to determine the responsible segment and involved nerve roots. Because of poor symptomatic control following SNRB, 2 patients were excluded. 30 patients diagnosed with FFLDH underwent PTED. The clinical characteristics, operative and postoperative outcomes, complication and subsequent follow-up were collected.

Results: 30 patients who underwent SNRB combined with PTED were followed up. The average visual analogue scale (VAS)-leg score, VAS-back score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) score at the Follow-up (1 day, 1 month, 3 months and last follow-up) were significantly different compared per-operation. According to the modified Macnab efficacy evaluation standard, the satisfaction degree at the last follow-up was excellent (28, 93.33%), good (1, 3.33%), medium (1, 3.33%) and poor (0, 0%).

Conclusion: SNRB provides an effective method for the definite diagnosis of FLDH and responsible nerve roots. Combination therapy offers several advantages including minimal invasiveness, precision, effectiveness, safety and low recurrence rates.