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Minim Invasive Neurosurg 2001; 44(1): 31-36
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-13584
ORIGINAL PAPER
Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Association Between Decreased Disc Signal Intensity in Preoperative T2-Weighted MRI and a 5-Year Outcome after Lumbar Minimally Invasive Discectomy

E. Kotilainen1 , A. Alanen2 , M. Erkintalo2 , S. Valtonen1 , M. Kormano2
  • 1Departments of Neurosurgery and Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
  • 2Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
31 December 2001 (online)

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A total of 39 patients who had undergone microdiscectomy or percutaneous nucleotomy for lumbar disc herniation were examined after a follow-up of 5 years. The overall outcome was satisfactory in 80 % of the patients treated, and only 1 (3 %) patient had been reoperated during the follow-up. Clinical signs and symptoms of lumbar instability were detected in 10 (26 %) patients. All these 39 patients had been examined with lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the day preceding the operation; the presence of disc degeneration was graded as severe, mild or non-existent depending on the visual brightness of the discs on T2-weighted images, as compared to the signal intensity of the lumbar vertebrae. None of the 12 patients with no preoperative disc degeneration in MRI suffered from postoperative clinical signs and symptoms of instability as compared to 10 (37 %) of the 27 patients with mild or severe disc degeneration suffering from instability (p = 0.04). Thus, the results of the present study imply that the grade of the disc degeneration in preoperative T2-weighted MR images significantly predicted the occurrence of postoperative clinical instability.

Key words:

Microinvasive lumbar discectomy - Disc degeneration - Instability

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Corresponding Author

E Kotilainen,M. D., Ph. D 

Department of Neurosurgery
Turku University Central Hospital

Kiinamyllynkatu 4 - 8
20520 Turku
Finland

Phone: Phone:+358-21-611611

Fax: Fax:+358-21-612284

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