Neurological Disorders

Clinical and Radiological Findings with Long-Term Conservative Therapy in Lumbar and Cervical Disc Prolapse

Abstract

Omar Abdelhay Eldanasory*

Objectives: A retrospective analysis study of 40 patients, with cervical, and/or lumbar disc prolapse, to evaluate the effectiveness of long term conservative treatment.

Method: The study involved 40 patients with acute or chronic onset of cervical or lumbar radiculopathy, due to disc prolapse between 2015 and 2019. All the data were obtained from the database in our institution. All patients had a standard neurological and clinical assessment, with follow up Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for a period ranging from 2 to 3 years. The Associations between clinical findings during the physical examination and follow up MRI imaging findings were compared and discussed. All patients were refusing surgery because of the surgical drew back occurring to their family members, medical problems preventing surgery, or they had improvement with long term conservative therapy. The protocol of medical treatment and physiotherapy were the same for all patients.

Results: Long term conservative treatment for cervical and lumbar disc prolapses could be superior and better than surgical treatment in acute disc prolapse without any neurological deterioration. The surgical treatment of the cervical and lumbar disc prolapses in young patients has not been considered the gold slandered option of treatment because of the postoperative complications especially recurrence disc and the failed back surgery syndrome.

Conclusion: The conservative treatment of cervical and/or lumbar disc prolapses of all patients was effective for long term therapy. The follow up MRI spine shows spontaneous regression of the disc materials. Therefore, conservative management of disc prolapses could be better than surgical management especially, in acute stages.

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