Lumbar micro disc surgery with and without autologous fat graft - A prospective randomized trial evaluated with reference to clinical and social factors
K. Bernsmann et al., Lumbar micro disc surgery with and without autologous fat graft - A prospective randomized trial evaluated with reference to clinical and social factors, ARCH ORTHOP, 121(8), 2001, pp. 476-480
Epidural scarring is one of the possible complications after lumbar disc su
rgery Perineural scar tissue has been considered responsible for recurrent
neurological symptoms in patients operated on for disc herniation and leads
to a high rate of unsatisfactory results. In addition, postoperative scars
may increase the technical difficulty and risk of subsequent procedures. V
arious materials have been used in animal studies to try to affect the degr
ee of epidural scar tissue with controversial results. In particular, free
fat transplantation has been described to reduce the degree of intraspinal
scar tissue. We therefore performed a prospective, double-blind, randomized
study comparing clinical and social factors of patients being operated on
for the first time for lumbar disc herniation. A total of 92 patients recei
ved an implantation of autologous fat graft, 94 did not. After a median of
24.2 months after their surgery, an objective examinator compared various c
linical parameters and the social situation of patients in both groups with
out knowing the operation method used. We found no significant differences
between the fat-graft group and the control group regarding either the clin
ical outcome or the social aspects.