A new study published in Spine examines reoperation rates for patients with recurrent disc herniation.
The study authors examined data from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial for patients who underwent primary discectomy for intervertebral disc herniation.
The study authors found:
1. There were 810 surgical patients in the study and 9.1 percent underwent revision surgery as a result of reherniation.
2. Reherniation risk factors included:
• Younger age
• Lack of sensory deficit
• Lack of motor deficit
• Higher baseline Oswestry Disability Index score
3. The improvement from baseline to four years after the procedure was less for the reherniation group on all outcomes measures using a time-adjusted average improvement.
4. Four years after surgery, the Sciatica Bothersomeness index was lower in the patients who experienced reherniation; the ODI scores and Short Form-36 scores were similar between both groups.
5. The study authors concluded younger patients with higher baseline disability but not neurological deficit had a higher risk of reherniation that needed revision surgery. "Those considering revision surgery for reherniation will likely improve significantly following surgery, but possibly not as much as with primary discectomy," the study authors concluded.
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