Key result
Discectomy reduces 6-month leg-pain intensity by ~46% versus nonsurgical care.
Why the study?
The treatment of chronic sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniation lasting 3 to 6 months has not been well studied compared with acute disc herniation.
Does discectomy improve leg-pain intensity at 6 months in patients with persistent sciatica lasting 3 to 6 months compared to standardized non-operative care?
RCT (n=150)
1:1 ratio
No
Does discectomy improve leg-pain intensity at 6 months in patients with persistent sciatica lasting 3 to 6 months compared to standardized non-operative care?
Absolute Event Rate: 2.8% vs 5.2%
Discectomy is superior to standardized non-operative care in reducing leg-pain intensity at 6 months for patients with persistent sciatica lasting 3 to 6 months.
Surgery may reduce leg pain at 6 months versus conservative care in this population; leaves open need for larger multicenter confirmation.
Background: Low back pain due to lumbar disc prolapse is a common disorder. The treatment of chronic sciatica caused by herniation of a lumbar disk has not been well studied in comparison with acute disk herniation. Patients and Method: In a single-center trial, we randomly assigned 150 patients ?? how many with sciatica that had lasted for 3 to 6 months and lumbar disk Mention the time of the study and groups of patients herniation at the L4–L5 or L5–S1 level in a 1:1 ratio (75 patients in each group) to undergo discectomy or to receive 6 months of standardized non-operative care followed by surgery if needed. The study was conducted for 1 year from 2020 to 2021. Results: The mean score for leg-pain intensity was 7.7 in the surgical group and 8.0 in the nonsurgical group. The primary outcome of the leg-pain intensity score at 6 months was 2.8 in the surgical group and 5.2 in the nonsurgical group < /p> Conclusion: Discectomy was superior to nonsurgical care concerning pain intensity at 6 months of follow-up.
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Abd-Elaal et al. (2022) conducted an RCT in Persistent sciatica and lumbar disk herniation (n=150). Discectomy vs. 6 months of standardized non-operative care followed by surgery if needed was evaluated on leg-pain intensity score at 6 months. Discectomy was superior to nonsurgical care for reducing leg-pain intensity at 6 months (mean score 2.8 vs 5.2).
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