Characteristics and Neurological Manifestations of Patients with Operated Lumbar Disc Herniation (original) (raw)

Disc herniation is one of the most frequent problems all over the world, with an incidence of 1 in 32 in the United States (1). Lumbar disc herniation is one the most frequent subtypes of intervertebral disc herniations in the spine, with the highest incidence in individuals over 30 years (2). Many factors constitute etiologies of disc herniation; such as demanding jobs/sports, chronic stress, trauma, aging, smoking, nutritional deficiencies, genetic predisposition and anatomical abnormalities (3,4). Low back pain is the most common symptom of patients with disc herniation. Radicular pain, sensory and motor deficits, reflex abnormalities, sphincter dysfunction, urinary and/or fecal Abstract Background and aim: Lumbar disk herniation is one of the most common causes of surgery in the spine with a variety of signs and symptoms. Sensory and motor deficits, as well as reflex and autonomic abnormalities may be seen. This study aimed to investigate characteristics and neurological manifestations in a series of operated cases with lumbar disc herniation. Methods: In a retrospective setting, profiles of 163 operated cases with lumbar disc herniation were reviewed. Demographics as well as preoperational sign and symptoms were extracted and evaluated. Results: There were 86 females and 77 males with a mean age of 44.85±0.91 (range: 23-78) years in the studied population. The most common involved levels were L4-L5 and L5-S1, respectively. Low back pain, radicular pain, and positive Lasegue test were documented in 98.2%, 96.9% and 77.3% of the patients, respectively. Sensory, motor and reflexive abnormalities were documented in 66.3%, 51.5% and 19.6% of the cases, respectively. Sphincter and sexual dysfunction was presented in 4.9% and 1.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Clinical and neurological signs of operated patients with lumbar disc herniation in the studied center are not far different from available reports in this regard.