CHEMONUCLEOLYSIS IN THE TREATMENT OF THE LUMBAR DISC CAUSED BY COMPRESSION AND ROTATION

One hundred patients who meet McCulloch's indicators for treatment of lumbar disc herniation by chemonucleolysis were entered in this study. Chemonucleolysis in the patients suffering from sciatica secondary to a compression injury, especially with clinical and radiographic evide nce of nerve root compression at a single level, can be expected to at tain good to excellent results. Chemonucleolysis is far less efficacio us in patients suffering from either torsional injury or multiple leve l abnormality, especially in the absence of neurological deficit. Meti culous attention to patient selection will yield optimal results. The result was excellent or very good in 60% of patients, while in 40% the procedure failed. The rate of success at the L.5/S.1 level was 70%, a t the L. 415 level it was 63% and 37% were successful when multiple le vels were treated