Chemonucleolysis with chymopapain: results in 150 patients

Chemonucleolysis with chymopapain has been advocated for the treatment of lumbar disc disease. When polled by a mail questionnaire, 150 consecutive patients who had undergone chemonucleolysis reported an overall success rate of only 40% and a failure rate of 60%. However, 57% of the patients were active or had only mild restriction of daily activities. Of those patients employed prior to injection, only 63% had returned to work. Those with workmen's compensation benefits fared considerably worse than those covered by third-party insurance (17% vs. 51% success). These results cast doubt on the long-term benefits of chymopapain in the treatment of lumbar disc disease.