We carried out a study to determine the effect of facet tropism on the development of adolescent and adult herniation of the lumbar disc. We assessed 149 levels in 140 adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years and 119 levels in 111 adults aged between 40 and 49 years with herniation. The facet tropism of each patient was measured at the level of the herniated disc by CT. There was no significant difference in facet tropism between the herniated and the normal discs in both the adolescent and adult groups, except at the L4-L5 level in the adults. Facet tropism did not influence the development of herniation of the lumbar disc in either adolescents or adults

Introduction. Herniation pits had been considered as a normal variant, a cystic lesion formed by synovial invagination. On the contrary, it was also suggested that herniation pits were one of the diagnostic findings in femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) because of the high prevalence of herniation pits in the FAI patients. To date, the exact etiology is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is an association between the presence of herniation pits and morphological indicators of FAI based on computed tomography (CT) examination. Materials and methods. We reviewed the CT scans of 245 consecutive subjects (490 hips, age: 21–89 years) who had undergone abdominal and pelvic CT for reasons unrelated to hip symptom from September, 2010 to June, 2011. These subjects were mainly examined for abdominal disorders. We confirmed by the questionnaire survey that there were no subjects who had symptoms of hip joints. We reviewed them for the presence of herniation pits and the morphological abnormalities of the femoral head and acetabulum. Herniation pits were diagnosed when they were located at the anterosuperior femoral head-neck junction with a diameter of more than 3 mm. We measured following four signs as indicators for FAI: α angle, center edge angle (CE angle), acetabular index (AI), and acetabular version. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for statistical analysis. Results. Herniation pits were identified in 61 of the 245 subjects or, with respect to individual hips, in 85 (17%) of 490 hips. The prevalence of herniation pits in younger subjects (<60 years, 240 hips) and elderly subjects (≥60 years, 250 hips) were 16.3% and 18.4%, respectively. Among 85 hips, the mean diameter of herniation pits was 5.9 ± 2.4 mm and it was significantly larger (p<0.01) in the elderly subjects (7.1 ± 2.4 mm) than in the younger subjects (4.7 ± 1.7 mm). In terms of the α angle, there were significant differences between the group with (49.8 ± 16.6°) and without herniation pits (40.7 ± 6.7°) in the elderly subjects, whereas not significantly different among the younger subjects. Measurements of the acetabular coverage (CE angle, AI) and the acetabular version showed no significant difference between the subject with and without herniation pits. Discussion. In the present study, the prevalence of herniation pits was 17% in asymptomatic Japanese general population. The fact that the size of the herniation pits enlarge with age may suggest these cystic lesions have degenerative characteristics with no association with FAI. Although large α angles have been recognized as a predictor of cam impingement especially in young population, it was impossible to show the relationship between α angle and presence of herniation pits in young population. These results suggest that the presence of the herniation pits has little relevance to FAI diagnosis

Despite the clinical relevance of back pain and intervertebral disc herniation, the lack of reliable models has strained their molecular understanding. We characterized the lumbar spinal phenotype of C57BL/6 and SM/J mice during aging. Interestingly, old SM/J lumbar discs evidenced accelerated degeneration, associated with high rates of disc herniation. SM/J AF's and degenerative human's AF transcriptomic profiles showed altered immune cell, inflammation, and p53 pathways. Old SM/J mice presented increased neuronal markers in herniated discs, thicker subchondral bone, and higher sensitization to pain. Dorsal root ganglia transcriptomic studies and spinal cord analysis exhibited increased pain and neuroinflammatory markers associated with altered extracellular matrix regulation. Immune system single-cell and tissue level analysis showed distinctive T-cell and B-cell modulation and negative correlation between mechanical allodynia and INF-α, IL-1β, IL2, and IL4, respectively. This study underscores the multisystemic network behind back pain and highlights the role of genetic background and the immune system in disc herniation disease. Acknowledgments: This study is supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) R01AR055655, R01AR064733, R01AR074813 to MVR

The belief that an intervertebral disc must degenerate before it can herniate has clinical and medicolegal significance, but lacks scientific validity. We hypothesised that tissue changes in herniated discs differ from those in discs that degenerate without herniation. Tissues were obtained at surgery from 21 herniated discs and 11 non-herniated discs of similar degeneration as assessed by the Pfirrmann grade. Thin sections were graded histologically, and certain features were quantified using immunofluorescence combined with confocal microscopy and image analysis. Herniated and degenerated tissues were compared separately for each tissue type: nucleus, inner annulus and outer annulus. Herniated tissues showed significantly greater proteoglycan loss (outer annulus), neovascularisation (annulus), innervation (annulus), cellularity/inflammation (annulus) and expression of matrix-degrading enzymes (inner annulus) than degenerated discs. No significant differences were seen in the nucleus tissue from herniated and degenerated discs. Degenerative changes start in the nucleus, so it seems unlikely that advanced degeneration caused herniation in 21 of these 32 discs. On the contrary, specific changes in the annulus can be interpreted as the consequences of herniation, when disruption allows local swelling, proteoglycan loss, and the ingrowth of blood vessels, nerves and inflammatory cells. In conclusion, it should not be assumed that degenerative changes always precede disc herniation. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1127–33

Purpose: Calcified thoracic discal herniation is an uncommon entity. The purpose of this study was to analyse the population concerned to search for radiological signs of sequellar Scheuermann disease and the characteristic features of hernias in this context and to compare computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings with intraoperative and histological findings. Material and methods: A retrospective series of 13 patients with symptomatic calcified thoracic discal herniation (CTDH) who underwent surgery from 1996 to 2001 was analysed. Mean age was 50.7 years. The population included ten men and three women. CT was performed in all cases, with myelography in two. MRI was performed in eleven cases with DTPA-gadolinium injection in six. Two neuroradiologists blinded to intraoperative findings reviewed the images independently to search for radiological signs predictive of dural adherence and/or penetration and the presence of Scheuermann squellae. Pathology data were available for five patients. Results: All herniations occurred in the mid to lower thoracic level in patients in their fourth or fifth decade. The disk was calcified at the zone of herniation in all cases. The hernia occupied more than half of the spinal canal in 70% of patients. The nature of the lesion was analysed on axial CT and T1/T2 weighted MRI sequences with fat suppression. Images confirmed the pathological findings: the majority of the calcified herniations were composed of mature haversian bone. In ten of the eleven cases, the radiological interpretation of the hernia/dural interface was found to correspond to the intraoperative observation. Discussion: The sensitivity and specificity of T2 weighted MRI with gadolinium injection of the hernia/dural interface is superior, enabling prediction of dural penetration. Sequellae of Scheuermann disease found in five patients confirmed a probably non-fortuitous association. Conclusion: The natural history of CTDH starts with discal calcification in a degenerative spine during posterior migration, followed by bone metaplasia which can involve neighbouring structures such as the longitudinal ligament and lead to penetration of the dura by the mature ossified lesion

Purpose of the study: Discal herniation is an exceptional cause of lumbar canal stenosis. When surgery for this disorder was first performed in the sixties, discectomy was not exceptional because discal protrusions were frequent. It was rather rapidly observed however that these protrusions were actually osteoarthitic discal rims that do not cause root compression. Discectomy was thus almost completely abandoned for lumbar stenosis surgery. Consequently, the development of true discal herniation after surgery for lumbar canal stenosis is highly exceptional. To our knowledge, this situation has not been reported in the literature. Among several hundred procedures for decompression of the lumbar canal practised in our unit over the last thirty years, we have observed seven cases. Material and methods: The patients were aged 43 to 74 years at the time of reoperation (mean 61 years). The stenosis was at the L4-L5 level in all patients and extended to L3-L4 in three and to L5-S1 in two and was bilateral in one patient. The L4-L5 disk had been removed at the prior surgery in three patients. Delay to recurrent pain was variable, from six months to eleven years. The sciatic pain was associated with motor disorders in one patient. Discal herniation was observed at the L4-L5 level in all patients and was often voluminous, excluded in three patients. Reossification was present in one patient but did not have a compressive effect. Treatment after recurrence was chemonucleolysis in three patients, with two successes and one failure. Surgical treatment by discal excision was used in four cases associated with instrumented fusion in one patient. Results: The patients were reviewed at one to ten years after the second operation. Nucleolysis was successful in two and a failure in one. The patient with failure of nucleolysis was treated by a new decompression with fusion and achieved an excellent result at ten years. Pain relief was achieved after surgery in all patients though only partial in one. Discussion and conclusion: Discal herniation is rare in elderly subjects and can cause problems late after surgical decompression of lumbar canal stenosis. It is important to search for discal herniation which is not always easy to confirm radiologically due to postoperative remodeling. Chemonucleolysis is an effective and economical solution when the disk has not been resected during the first procedure. When an operation is necessary, spinal fusion is not useful except in case of associated instability

Objective: To determine the late (2–5 years) clinical results of surgery for herniated lumbar disc (HLD) as related to duration of preoperative symptoms and type of herniation. Methods: The study was limited to 63 adult Moslem Arab residents of the hospital’s catchment area. All subjects had been scored for pre and postoperative leg pain and for related disability using a 0–11 visual analog scale and a functional grading system (Spangfort’s), respectively. Relationships between duration of preoperative symptoms and extent of disc herniation with the above scores were statistically analyzed. Results: The mean overall score for leg pain decreased from 7.2 ± 2.0 (preoperatively) to 3.4 ± 2.4, a mean reduction (ΔVAS) of 3.1 ± 2.7, a 43.3% change (P< 0.001). Patients operated upon within 4 weeks after onset of symptoms attained the highest degree of leg pain relief (ΔVAS 4.3 ± 2.6), those operated within 4–12 weeks reported the least relief of leg pain (ΔVAS 1.7 ± 2.8). Paradoxically, patients who underwent surgery after 12 weeks received better results than the 4 – 12 week group (ΔVAS 3.0 ± 1.3). Patients with non-contained herniation reported a more intense preoperative leg pain than those defined as contained (VAS 8.3 vs. 6.5), were operated earlier (7.4 vs. 15.8 weeks), and their functional outcome was graded as better (Good/Fair in 96.4% vs. 74.3%). Conclusions: Patients with incapacitating radicular pain, not responding to conservative treatments, are best operated upon within 6 weeks of onset. Surgery for non-contained herniation achieves a higher long-term success rate, probably since severe pain hastens surgical procedure, thereby preventing irreversible root damage

We estimated the long term results of the different methods in chirurgical treatment of lumbar disk herniation in consideration with the presence or absence of degenerative changes and the grade in witch these factors influence the result of this kind of treatment. Seventy eight patents with lumbar disk herniation have been submitted in partial discectomy. The men were 42 and 36 women. The patients were separated in tow groups. In the first group [48 patients, 31 of them (A1) without degenerative changes, while the 17 (A2) with degenerative changes], was applied macrodiscectomi. In the second group [30 patients, 18 of them (B1) without degenerative changes and the 12 (B2) with changes], was applied microdiscectomi with use of magnifying lenses. The mean age during operation was 44 years (18–67) and 38 years (24–62) respectively for the tow groups, and the mean time of follow-up was 7 years and 8 months (18 months-13 years). For all patients, the operation was executed from the same surgeon. The elements that were evaluated were the Visual analog scale (VAS, O-10), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), as well as the complications during and after the operation and the cases that required a reoperation. In the first group VAS score was improved from 9.1 to 3.1 and the ODI score was improved from 86% to 24.2%. In the second group VAS score was improved from 9 to 2.6 and the ODI score was improved from 84.2% to 19.2%. From all patients, subgroup B1 without degenerative changes, which was submitted in microdiscectomy presented the biggest improvement. We have had to reoperate 6 patients (7.8%). In cases of lumbar disk hernia both methods are appropriate and lead to a considerable improvement of the symptoms. Degenerative changes of the lumbar spine is a factor that leads in less satisfactory results

The National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Death Register were linked to determine the incidence of surgical intervention, the trends and characteristics of the patients, the death rate and the pre- and post-operative admissions for herniation of a lumbar disc based on comprehensive national data between 1987 and 1999. There were 27 576 operations which were followed cumulatively for 155 249 years, with a median of 6.0 years. The mean annual rate of operation was 24 per 100 000 inhabitants, the median age of the patients was 42 years. The 30-day death rate was 0.5 per 1000 operations. The rates of re-operation at one and ten years were 5% and 10%, respectively, decreasing significantly (40%) with time. The mean length of stay decreased from nine to five days. Patients who had been in hospital because of a previous spinal disorder had a significantly higher risk of readmission

Introduction. Herniated disc tissue removed at surgery usually appears degenerated, and MRI often reveals degenerative changes in adjacent discs and vertebrae. This has fostered the belief that a disc must be degenerated before it can herniate, which has medicolegal significance. We hypothesise that degenerative changes in herniated disc tissues differ from those found in tissues that have degenerated in-situ, and are consistent with being consequences rather than causes of herniation. Methods. Surgically-removed discs were examined using histology, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. 21 samples of herniated tissues were compared with age-matched tissues excised from 11 patients whose discs had reached a similar Pfirrman grade of degeneration but without herniating. Degenerative changes were assessed separately in three tissue types (where present): nucleus, inner annulus, and outer annulus. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare ‘herniated’ vs ‘in-situ’ tissues. Results. Herniated tissues showed significantly greater cellularity (annulus), greater proteoglycan loss (outer annulus), greater neovascularisation (annulus), greater innervation (annulus) as judged by PGP 9.5 staining, greater expression of matrix-degrading enzymes MMP1 and MMP3 (inner annulus), but less cell clustering (outer annulus). Some similar but non-significant differences were seen in nucleus tissues. Interpretation. Herniated tissues that escape the pressurised confines of the disc are free to swell, lose proteoglycans and come into contact with blood cells. These events could explain most of the differences between herniated tissues and those that degenerated ‘in situ’. Results support our hypothesis, and warn against assuming that degenerative changes always precede (or cause) disc herniation. No conflicts of interest. No funding obtained. This abstract has not been previously published in whole or in part; nor has it been presented previously at a national meeting

Summary Statement. Repetitive loading of degenerated human intervertebral discs in combined axial compression, flexion and axial rotation, typical of manual handling lifing activities, causes: an increase in intradiscal maximum shear strains, circumferential annular tears and nuclear seperation from the endplate. Introduction. Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a crippling condition that affects quality of life and is a significant burden to the health care system and the workforce. The mechanisms of LBP are poorly understood, however it is well known that loss of intervertebral disc (disc) height due to degeneration is a common cause of chronic low back and referred pain. Gross disc injury such as herniation can be caused by sudden overload or by damage accumulation via repetitive loading, which is a cause of acute LBP and an accelerant of disc degeneration. The aim of this study was to determine for the first time the relationship between combined repetitive compression, flexion and axial rotation motion of degenerated cadaver lumbar spine segments, and the progression of three-dimensional (3D) internal disc strains that may lead to disc herniation and macroscopic tissue damage. Patients & Methods. Seven degenerated human lumbar functional spinal units (FSUs) underwent pre-test MRI, had a grid of tantalum wires inserted into the mid-transverse plane of the disc and were subjected to 20,000 cycles of repetitive loading in combined compression (1.7 MPa), flexion (11–13°) and right axial rotation (2–3°) in a six degree of freedom hexapod robot. Stereoradiographs were taken at cyclic intervals (1, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, 15000 and 20000 cycles) from which 3D intradiscal principal strains and maximum shear strains (MSS) were calculated and partitioned into nine disc anatomical regions. After testing the discs underwent post-test MRI followed by macroscopic assessment to identify tissue damage. A repeated measures ANOVA having a within-subjects factor of cycle number, and a between-subjects factor of disc region was used to examine the effects of cycle number and disc region on MSS. Results. No visible evidence of disc herniation occurred after 20,000 cycles, however circumferential annular tears and nucleus separation from the endplate were observed in all specimens in agreement with observed signal changes in post-test MRI images. There was a significant effect of both cycle number, disc region and the interaction of cycle number x disc region on MSS (p<0.001). MSS was significantly larger after 20,000 cycles compared with the first loading cycle in the anterior, left anterolateral, left lateral, and left posterolateral disc regions (p<0.037). Minor changes in MSS were seen in the posterior and nucleus regions. The largest increases were observed in the left anterolateral and left posterolateral regions after 20,000 cycles. Discussion/Conclusion. A significant increase in MSS was observed across most regions in the disc after 20,000 repetitive loading cycles, especially in the left anterolateral and left posterolateral regions. No herniation was observed, although macroscopic and MRI evidence of circumferential annular tears and nuclear separation from the endplate occurred, suggesting internal disc tissue disorganisation that may indicate a progression towards eventual herniation

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is uncommon in youth and few cases are treated surgically. Very few outcome studies exist for LDH surgery in this age group. Our aim was to explore differences in gender in pre-operative level of disability and outcome of surgery for LDH in patients aged ≤ 20 years using prospectively collected data.

From the national Swedish SweSpine register we identified 180 patients with one-year and 108 with two-year follow-up data ≤ 20 years of age, who between the years 2000 and 2010 had a primary operation for LDH.

Both male and female patients reported pronounced impairment before the operation in all patient reported outcome measures, with female patients experiencing significantly greater back pain, having greater analgesic requirements and reporting significantly inferior scores in EuroQol (EQ-5D-index), EQ-visual analogue scale, most aspects of Short Form-36 and Oswestry Disabilities Index, when compared with male patients. Surgery conferred a statistically significant improvement in all registered parameters, with few gender discrepancies. Quality of life at one year following surgery normalised in both males and females and only eight patients (4.5%) were dissatisfied with the outcome. Virtually all parameters were stable between the one- and two-year follow-up examination.

LDH surgery leads to normal health and a favourable outcome in both male and female patients aged 20 years or younger, who failed to recover after non-operative management.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1675–82.

Purpose of the study: Conventional treatment for recurrent lumbar disc herniation is repeated discectomy. Other methods such as fusion, ligamentoplasty or implantation of a discal prosthesis are sometimes proposed but all increase morbidity. The purpose of this work was to ascertain the efficacy of isolated repeated radicular release for the treatment of recurrent discal herniation.

Material and methods: Thirty-four patients underwent surgery for recurrent discal herniation. Repeated radicular release was used in all patients included in this analysis who completed a self-administered questionnaire at last follow-up to assess the final functional outcome.

Results: The cohort included 13 women and 21 men, mean age at surgery 45 years. Mean time from first discectomy to revision surgery for recurrence was 55 months. At the time of the review, four patients had died, all four from cancer. None of these patients had undergone a revision procedure on the lumbar spine. One patient was lost to follow-up so 85% of the cohort was analyzed with 60 months average follow-up. A dural tear occurred during the proscedure in six patients (17%. Five patients (14.7%) required revision surgery, one for deep infection, four for recurrent or persistent lumboradiculalgia (recurrent discal herniation, isthmic fracture, lateral stenosis associated with inflammatory discopathy). The rate of revision for painful failure was 11.4%. The final outcome could be assessed for 25 patients and was satisfactory for 22/25 (88%). The self-administered questionnaire revealed 65% average improvement with more than half of the patients reported better than 80% improvement. Ten patients (40%) complained of lumbar pain and a third had residual, generally intermittent, radiculalgia. Eighteen of 25 patients resumed their work at a comparable level after six months on average; 84% of the patient would accept the same operation again.

Discussion: In terms of morbidity and rate of revision, the results are comparable to reports in the literature. Repeated release does not increase the risk of a new recurrence.

Conclusion: This work enabled us to demonstrate that in the large majority of patients repeated discectomy provides satisfactory functional outcome with little morbidity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of treating extra-foramen discal herniation via a microsurgical extra-foramen approach.

Material and methods: Fourteen patients underwent this surgical procedure which enables release of the roots outside the foramen while preserving the vertebral isthma. The technique is described in detail together with the postoperative period. All patients were reviewed clinically and radiologically at at least one year. The PROLO score was used to assess results.

Results: Among the 14 operated patients, good or excellent results were obtained in 13, fair results in one. There was no postoperative neurological deficit. The small number of cases in this series did not allow a statistical analysis of this uncommon clinical presentation.

Discussion: The extra-formamen approach is an interesting alternative to isthmic resection requiring fixation for the treatment of disc-root conflicts in the extra-foramen position. With appropriate surgical skill, the technique is safe.

Purpose

To investigate sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in patients operated for lumbar disc herniation in public and private hospitals, and evaluate whether selection for surgical treatment were different across the two settings.

Aims. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the type of cervical disc herniation influences the severity of symptoms at the time of presentation, and the outcome after surgical treatment. Methods. The type and extent of disc herniation at the time of presentation in 108 patients who underwent anterior discectomy for cervical radiculopathy were analyzed on MRI, using a four-point scale. These were dichotomized into disc bulge and disc herniation groups. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain in the neck and arm at baseline and two years postoperatively. The perceived recovery was also assessed at this time. Results. At baseline, 46 patients had a disc bulge and 62 had a herniation. There was no significant difference in the mean NDI and SF-36 between the two groups at baseline. Those in the disc bulge group had a mean NDI of 44.6 (SD 15.2) compared with 43.8 (SD 16.0) in the herniation group (p = 0.799), and a mean SF-36 of 59.2 (SD 6.9) compared with 59.4 (SD 7.7) (p = 0.895). Likewise, there was no significant difference in the incidence of disabling arm pain in the disc bulge and herniation groups (84% vs 73%; p = 0.163), and no significant difference in the incidence of disabling neck pain in the two groups (70.5% (n = 31) vs 63% (n = 39); p = 0.491). At two years after surgery, no significant difference was found in any of the clinical parameters between the two groups. Conclusion. In patients with cervical radiculopathy, the type and extent of disc herniation measured on MRI prior to surgery correlated neither to the severity of the symptoms at presentation, nor to clinical outcomes at two years postoperatively. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2022;104-B(11):1242–1248

Injury of the intervertebral disc (IVD) can occur for many reasons including structural weakness due to disc degeneration. A common disc injury is herniation. A herniated nucleus can compress spinal nerves, causing pain, and nucleus depressurisation changes mechanical behaviour. Many studies have investigated in vitro IVD injuries including endplate fracture, incisions, and nucleotomy. There is, however, a lack of consensus on how the biomechanical behaviour of spinal motion segments is affected. The aim of this study was to induce defined changes to IVDs of spine specimens in vitro and apply 6 degree of freedom testing to evaluate the effect of these changes. Six porcine lumbar spinal motion segments were harvested from organically farmed pigs. Posterior structures were removed to produce isolated spinal disc specimens. Specimens were potted in Wood's metal, ensuring the midplane of the IVD remained horizontal. After potting, specimens were sprayed with 0.9% saline, wrapped in saline-soaked tissue and plastic wrap to prevent dehydration. A 400N axial preload was equilibrated for 30 minutes before testing. Specimens were tested intact and after a partial nucleotomy removing ~0.34g of nuclear material with a curette through an annular incision. Stiffness tests were performed using the University of Bath's custom 6-axis spine simulator with coordinate axes and displacement amplitudes. Tests comprised five cycles with data acquired at 100Hz. Stiffness matrices were evaluated from the last three motion cycles using the linear least squares method. Stiffness matrices for intact and nucleotomy tests were compared. No significant differences in shear, axial or torsional stiffnesses were noted. Nucleotomy caused significantly higher stiffness in lateral bending and flexion-extension with increased linearity and the load-displacement behaviour in these axes displayed no neutral zone (NZ). Induced changes were designed to replicate posterolaterally herniated discs. Unaffected shear, axial and torsional stiffnesses suggest the annulus is crucial in these axes. However, reduced ROM and NZ after nucleotomy suggests bending is most affected by herniation. Increased linearity and lack of defined NZ in these axes demonstrates herniation causes major changes to the viscoelastic behaviour of spine specimens in response to loading

Aims. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of repeat epidural steroid injections as a form of treatment for patients with insufficiently controlled or recurrent radicular pain due to a lumbar or cervical disc herniation. Patients and Methods. A cohort of 102 patients was prospectively followed, after an epidural steroid injection for radicular symptoms due to lumbar disc herniation, in 57 patients, and cervical disc herniation, in 45 patients. Those patients with persistent pain who requested a second injection were prospectively followed for one year. Radicular and local pain were assessed on a visual analogue scale (VAS), functional outcome with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) or the Neck Pain and Disability Index (NPAD), as well as health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-12). Results. A second injection was performed in 17 patients (29.8%) with lumbar herniation and seven (15.6%) with cervical herniation at a mean of 65.3 days . (sd. 46.5) and 47 days . (sd. 37.2), respectively, after the initial injection. All but one patient, who underwent lumbar microdiscectomy, responded satisfactorily with a mean VAS for leg pain of 8.8 mm . (sd. 10.3) and a mean VAS for arm pain of 6.3 mm . (. sd. 9) one year after the second injection, respectively. Similarly, functional outcome and HRQoL were improved significantly from the baseline scores: mean ODI, 12.3 (. sd. 12.4; p < 0.001); mean NPAD, 19.3 (. sd. 24.3; p = 0.041); mean SF-12 physical component summary (PCS) in lumbar herniation, 46.8 (. sd. 7.7; p < 0.001); mean SF-12 PCS in cervical herniation, 43 (. sd. 6.8; p = 0.103). Conclusion. Repeat steroid injections are a justifiable form of treatment in symptomatic patients with lumbar or cervical disc herniation whose symptoms are not satisfactorily relieved after the first injection. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:1364–71

The October 2024 Spine Roundup. 360. looks at: Analysis of risk factors for non-fusion of bone graft in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a clinical retrospective study; Does paraspinal muscle mass predict lumbar lordosis before and after decompression for degenerative spinal stenosis?; Return to work after surgery for lumbar disk herniation: a nationwide registry-based study; Can the six-minute walking test assess ambulatory function impairment in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy?; Complications after adult deformity surgery: losing more than sleep; Frailty limits how good we can get in adult spine deformity surgery