Læknablaðið - 01.02.1971, Page 43

LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
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results vvere satisfactory. Ninety per cent of the patients had resumed
their previous work within 6 months of the operation. The average time
in hospital was 19.6 days. The average time from the beginning of symp-
toms until work had been resumed was in this series 4.3 months.
The late results of this survey are that 61% of the patients are symp-
tom free and 23% have mild symptoms. All of those are working full-time,
while 7 are doing lighter work than before surgery. Five patients or 16%
were improved by the primary operation, however only for a certain time.
Three of those had subsequently a recurrence of symptoms and have not
been able to resume their work. The other two were reoperated on be-
cause of a recurrence of sciatic and low-back pain. Both of those improved
after the second operation in spite of negative operative findings and are
now working full-time.
In the discussion these results are compared to the results of other
authors. The indications for early surgical treatment of herniated lumbar
discs are also briefly discussed.
HEIMILDIR
L Mixter, W. J. og Barr, J. S.: Rupture of the intervertebral disc with
involvement of the spinal canal. N. England J. M. 211:210; 1934.
2. Friberg, S.: Low back and sciatic pain caused by intervertebral disc
herniation. Anatomic and clinical investigation. Acta Chir. Scand., 85,
Suppl. 64; 1941.
3. Gurdjian, E. S., Ostrowski, A. Z., Hardy, W. G. Lindner, D. W. and
Thomas, L. M.: Results of operative treatment of protruded and
ruptured lumbar discs. Based on 1176 operative cases with 82 per cent
follow-up of 3 to 13 years. J. Neurosurgery 18:783-91; 1961.
4. Hirsch, C.: The clinical evaluation of sciatica. Acta Orthoped. Scand.
27:210; 1958.
5. Söderberg, L.: Prognosis in conservatively treated sciatica. Acta
Orthoped. Scand. Suppl. 21; 1956.
6. O’Connell, J. E. A.: Protrusions of the lumbar intervertebral discs.
A clinical review based on 500 cases treated by excision of the
protrusion. J. Bone & Joint Surg. 33-B:8-30, February 1951.
7. Barr, J. S.: Ruptured intervertebral disc and sciatic pain. J. Bone &
Joint Surg. 29:429; 1947.
8. Dahlgren, S.: Results of early operative treatment of sciatica. Acta
Orthoped. Scand. 33:18-23; 1963.
9. Söderberg, L. og Sjöberg, S.: On operated herniated lumbar discs.
Acta Orthoped. Scand. 31:146-51; 1961.
10. Lindgren, S.: Some problems concerning the herniated intervertebral
disc from a clinical point of view. Acta Chir. Scand. 98:295; 1949.
11. Barr, J. S„ Kubik, Ch„ S„ Malloy, M. K„ McNeill, J. M„ Risen-
borough, E. J. and White, J. C.: Evaluation of endresults in treatment
of ruptured lumbar intervertebral discs with protrusion of nucleus
pulp. Surg. Gyn. & Obstr. 125:250-256; 1967.
12. Waris, W.: Lumbal disc herniation. Clinical studies and late results
of 374 cases of sciatica operated on the diagnosis or suspicion of