The clinical effects and safety of release and decompression techniques on nerve roots through percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) while treating patients with central lumbar disc herniation (CLDH) were explored. Patient cases of lumbar and leg pain treated in Bethune International Peace Hospital from July 2013 to October 2015 were collected retrospectively. The patients in these cases received imaging examinations such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Among these cases, 37 CLDH patients with no other complications were selected for this study. A total of 22 males and 15 females aged 28-54 years, with an average age of 36.8±1.5 years, were the subjects of the study. Their disease course was from 1 month to 3 years, with a median course time of 1.5 years. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Associa­tion (JOA) scoring and the MacNab method were used to evaluate treatment effects. After permission from patients or their family members, release and decompression techniques of nerve roots were performed through PTED. All patients had successful surgery. Their average surgery time was 41.3 (25.5‑57.1) min. A physician followed-up each patient from 0 to 18 months after surgery, with the average follow-up period of 12.1 months. VAS scoring of lower limbs was 7.95±0.82 before surgery and 2.28±0.35, 3 months after surgery. VAS scoring of lower limbs was 2.06±0.58, 1 year after surgery and 2.12±0.23 at the last follow‑up appointment. JOA scoring was 12.6±0.72 before surgery and 20.4±1.08, 3 months after surgery. JOA scoring was 21.1±0.82 1 year after surgery and 21.2±0.36 at the last follow‑up. Differences are of statistical significance (P<0.05). There were no complications for any of the cases. One patient did not improve after surgery, so a laminectomy and bone grafting internal fixation were performed. Two patients relapsed after surgery and received laminectomy and bone grafting internal fixation. The total percentage of excellent and good rates was 83.5%. In conclusion, release and decompression techniques on nerve roots using PTED while treating CLDH resulted in a safe, effective and less traumatic outcome with fewer complications and quicker pain relief than alternative treatments. Due to the results of this study, the use of these techniques in treating CLDH should be more widely considered.

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