Plasma Disc Decompression Effective For Contained Disc Herniation

Contained Disc Herniation

Two studies on plasma disc decompression found that the procedure is effective for treating patients with contained disc herniation.

PDD is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be performed under local anesthesia and light sedation.

A prospective, randomized, controlled study of 85 patients comparing PDD to conservative care for the treatment of contained cervical disc herniation presented by Alessandro Cesaroni, MD, vice chief in neurosurgery, Policlinico Casilino Hospital, Rome, Italy, found that PDD patients enjoyed earlier resolution of symptoms and functional improvement, and had significantly greater pain relief at 12 months. Dr. Cesaroni's data will also be presented from the podium at the World Federation of Neurological Societies Annual Meeting in November. Last month, his study was presented at the Annual Meetings of the European Association of Neurological Societies and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

"In our study, we determined PDD to be an effective alternative for patients who experience pain and symptoms associated with cervical disc herniation that do not resolve spontaneously over time. PDD patients experienced significantly greater reduction in pain than patients under conservative care at both six- and twelve-month follow-up visits," said Dr. Cesaroni.

In a separate and ongoing prospective, randomized controlled study, investigators at 12 sites have enrolled 89 patients with radicular pain associated with contained disc herniation and treated with PDD. Preliminary results from 36 patients will be presented as a poster at EuroSpine. The study's initial findings, comparing PDD to selective nerve root injections (SNRI) for the treatment of contained disc herniation, revealed PDD patients showed greater reduction in both leg and back pain than SNRI patients at six months following treatment. The results were also presented at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting last month and will be presented in October at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting.

Also presented recently from the podium at the European Association of Neurological Societies in September was a retrospective review of more than 1,000 patients treated with PDD that found that 79 percent of patients reported "excellent" or "good" alleviation of pain and symptoms, with a