DO MASSIVE LUMBAR DISC PROLAPSES NEED SURGERY?
G.L. Cribb; and D.C. Jaffray Department of Spinal Surgery, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, UK Study Design: Review of patients with massive disc prolapse, with a minimum of 50% canal occlusion, treated non-operatively. Objectives: To demonstrate the behaviour of massive disc prolapse treated non-operatively. Subjects: Patients with massive disc prolapse whose symptoms had started to resolve or who had refused surgery. Outcome Measures: Spontaneous reduction of disc herniation on MRI scans. Results: There were 10 patients who have had massive lumbar disc prolapse treated non-operatively. All had MRI scans which showed a lumbar disc prolapse occluding greater than 50% of the canal diameter on the axial cuts. The average occlusion of the canal was 62%. Repeat MRI scans showed reduction of the disc prolapse in all cases, with an average of 83% (range 68 100) reduction in the canal occlusion. The scans were performed between 6 and 68 months apart. 9/10 patients h
