OBJECTIVE: Report safety and clinical outcomes of percutaneous intradiscal decompression procedures in patients with discogenic pain that failed conservative treatment. Minimally invasive surgical treatments are a trend. METHODS: A retrospective study describing the clinical outcomes of patients treated with NucleoplastyTM and DeKompressorTM, with follow up of 5 years. RESULTS: Thirty-four (n=34) patients underwent intradiscal decompression with a follow-up period of 5 years, 21 had resolution of pain, eight underwent lumbar interbody arthrodesis, one underwent surgical discectomy and 4 had residual back pain. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSION: It was demonstrated the same safety obtained in other studies that also evaluated the use of triangular safety zone for percutaneous procedures. The success rate with the percutaneous procedure is similar to other studies published in a recent meta-analysis. The comparative studies, prospective and controlled will be useful to better define the effectiveness of percutaneous procedures.
Intervertebral disc displacement; Decompression; Intervertebral disc; Low back pain
