A case of nerve root heat injury induced by percutaneous laser disc decompression performed at an outside institution: technical case report.

Objective: In recent years, percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) has become a routine surgical procedure because it can be performed under local anesthesia and is minimally invasive. However, there is a risk of nerve root and endplate injury owing to heat generated by laser irradiation during PLDD. We recently performed salvage surgery on a patient with heat injury to the L5 nerve root that developed after PLDD.

Salvage operation for persistent low back pain and sciatica induced by percutaneous laser disc decompression performed at outside institution: correlation of magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative and pathological findings.

Objective: We identified several problems associated with percutaneous lumbar disc decompression (PLDD) based on a study of patients who required salvage operations for complications after undergoing PLDD at an outside institution.

Background Data: PLDD has been performed as a new treatment for intervertebral disc herniation in recent years, and its safety and effectiveness are in the process of being established. Because the procedure is simple to perform under local anesthesia, inappropriate irradiation and application to patients for whom it is not indicated have sometimes resulted in a poor outcome and serious complications.