Abstract
A multitude of therapies is available to treat disc herniation, ranging from conservative methods (medication and physical therapy) to minimally invasive (percutaneous) treatments and surgery. O 2-O 3 chemonucleolysis (O 2-O 3 therapy) is one of the minimally invasive treatments with the best cost/benefit ratio and lowest complication rate. Another substance recently made available exploiting the chemical properties of pure ethanol is DiscoGel®, a radiopaque gelified ethanol more viscous than absolute alcohol 8,9. The present study aimed to assess the therapeutic outcome of DiscoGel® chemonucleolysis in patients with lumbar disc herniation unresponsive to O 2-O 3 therapy. Thirty-two patients aged between 20 and 79 years were treated by DiscoGel® chemonucleolysis between December 2008 and January 2010. The treatment was successful (improvement in pain) in 24 out of 32 patients. DiscoGel® is safe and easy to handle and there were no complications related to product diffusivity outside the treatment site. The therapeutic success rate of DiscoGel® chemonucleolysis in patients unresponsive to O 2-O 3 therapy was satisfactory. Among other methods used to treat lumbar disc herniation, DiscoGel® chemonucleolysis can be deemed an intermediate procedure bridging conservative medical treatments and surgery.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 97-104 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Interventional Neuroradiology |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2012 |
Keywords
- Discal hernia
- DiscoGel
- Ozone
- Percutaneous treatments
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Clinical Neurology
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine