Short-term follow-up: Micro-invasive therapy of the cervical herniated disk by percutaneous nucleotomy

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Timmermann, Jens^{a; *} | Hahn, Markus^b | Krueger, Karlgeorg^c

Affiliations: [a] Interventional Radiology Department, St.-Josef Hospital, Essen, Germany | [b] ARTIMED Medical Consulting GmbH, Kassel, Germany | [c] Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy, Essen-Kupferdreh, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: J. Timmermann, Interventional Radiology Department, St.-Josef Hospital, Heidbergweg 22-24, 45257 Essen, Germany. Fax: +49 201 4552916; E-mail: j.timmermann@kkrh.de

Abstract: Aim:The purpose of this article is to present the clinical results of percutaneous nucleotomy treatment on patients with cervical disk herniation. Methods:Patients with long-term chronic pain due to either cervical prolapse or protrusion were recruited for cervical nucleotomy. The surgical procedures were performed between mid-2008 and the beginning of 2009. The purpose of the surgeries was to relieve radicular irritation and reduce the chronic, high level of pain by micro-technically withdrawing herniated nucleus pulposus tissue. Results:After the percutaneous nucleotomy, the patients were hospitalized for an average of 3 to 4 days. In all complete documented cases (57.5%) the pain was substantially reduced. Conclusion:Cervical percutaneous nucleotomy is a promising alternative to traditional open disk surgery or to chemonucleolysis for herniated disks of the cervical spine.

Keywords: Percutaneous nucleotomy, herniated cervical disk, radicular irritation, VAS score

DOI: 10.3233/BMR-2011-0280

Journal: Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 89-93, 2011