Treatment of Protrusion of Lumbar Intervertebral Disc in Adolescents Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of percutaneous laser disc decompression(PLDD) for protrusion of lumbar intervertebral disc in adolescents. Methods Twenty-nine 15-21 years old adolescents(25 males and 4 females) with protrusion of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation were treated with PLDD.A semiconductor laser with of wave length of 980 nm was used.The total dosage of laser ablation ranged 800 to 1 000 Joule at the level of the disc.The patients were followed up for 12-21 months.The therapentic effect was assessed according to the Macnab criteria. Results Excellent,good and poor therapeutic effect was achieved in 23,3 and 3 patients,respectively,with excellent and good therapautic effect rate of 89.7%. Conclusions PLDD is a safe and effective and minimally invasive procedure for the protrusion of lumbar intervertebral disc in adolescents.