A study of long term follow-up for treatment of intervertebral disc with non-surgical methods

Objective: In order to provide a valid and firsthand long-term follow-up results of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation treatment, and to help the therapy of this disease, this retrospective study was made through an objective evaluation of the results of non-surgical therapies for cases treated ten years ago in our hospital. Methods: The definite lumbar intervertebral disc herniation cases, which were treated in our in-patient and out-patient department ten years ago, and strictly followed up in our hospital in recent ten years, were carefully selected for this study.The medical records and imageological materials of the patients were all intact.And they were all very cooperative.The follow-up duration （time） for the patients was 10 to 38 years.The long term therapeutic effects and the imageological change were observed.The height difference of intervertebral space in the protruded space was measured before treatment and the latest follow-up.And degeneration of the two intervertebral spaces adjacent to the protruded intervertebral space was also observed. Results: Among the 180 cases in non-surgical group, the effect was quite good in 161 cases and the patients undertook almost a normal life and work, vertebral canal decompression was performed 11-38 years later respectively for the rest 19 cases because of intermittent claudication.The protruded intervertebral space was decreased 3.17 ±1.65mm averagely in height after non-surgical treatment.The adjacent intervertebral space degeneration was observed in 23 cases. Conclusions: The effect of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation treated by non-surgical therapy was good after a long-term follow-up observation.For non- surgical group, the protruded space stenosis occurred relatively late and was slight in severity, and the adjacent interteverbrai space degeneration occurred relatively less.We suggest non- surgical therapy should be as the first selectivity.