Ozone disc nucleolysis in the management of herniated lumbar intervertebral disc: A retrospective analysis.

Abstract

Various minimally invasive surgeries were proposed for the management of herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. However, to choose optimal treatment modality to maximize patient benefit is a clinical challenge for the treatment givers. The objective was to study the role of ozone disc nucleolysis in the management of herniated lumbar intervertebral disc by retrospective analysis. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients of lumbar disc herniation treated by ozone disc nucleolysis during May 2007-May 2021. There were total of 2089 patients with 58% of males and 42% of females. The age ranged from 18 to 88 years. Outcome was measured on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) along with modified MacNab method. The mean baseline VAS score was 7.73, which became 3.07 at 1 month, 1.44 at 3 months, 1.42 at 6 months, and 1.36 at 1 year. Similarly, the mean ODI index was 35.92 at baseline, which improved to 9.17 at 1 month, 6.14 at 3 months, 6.10 at 6 months, and 6.09 at 1 year. VAS score and ODI analysis was found to be statistically significant with P < 0.05. Modified MacNab criterion showed successful treatment outcome in 85.6% with excellent recovery in 1161 (55.58%), good recovery in 423 (20.25%), and fair recovery in 204 (9.77%). Mediocre or no recovery was seen in the remaining 301 patients amounting to a 14.40% failure rate. This retrospective analysis confirms that ozone disc nucleolysis is an optimally effective and least invasive treatment option for herniated lumbar intervertebral disc with a significant reduction in disability.