Treatment of cauda equina syndrome caused by lumbar disc herniation with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy

To evaluate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) for cauda equina syndrome (CES) caused by disc herniation. 16 patients with CES caused by LDH at the early and middle stages of Shi’s classification were selected as the objects of study, who underwent PELD. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Macnab criteria and the visual analogue scale (VAS). The VAS for leg pain and back pain significantly decreased from preoperative scores of 7.67 ± 1.23 and 7.52 ± 1.42, respectively, to postoperative scores of 1.71 ± 0.53 and 3.18 ± 0.72. Thirteen patients showed favorable results. Complications included one patient of motor weakness, and one patient developed an ipsilateral recurrent herniation who finally acquired satisfactory result after reoperation. Hence, PELD could be used as an alternative surgical method for the treatment of CES in properly selected cases and appropriate patient selection and a reasonable surgical approach will give rise to better outcomes.