Percutaneous Laser Disk Decompression: A Review of the Literature

* In this trial, each patient was assigned to 1 of 3 groups: 1) those who met all selection criteria for PLDD (leg pain, positive physical examination finding such motor, sensory, or reflex deficits, and/or straight leg raise, contained disk herniation confirmed by diskography); 2) those who did not meet the selection criteria (had a normal physical examination, the presence of stenosis, spondylolisthesis, extruded disk fragment, leakage of diskographic dye from the outer annulus, multiple prior lumbar surgeries; or 3) those who could not be assigned to either of the first 2 groups for reasons such as diskography not being performed or inadequate physical examination data recorded in the chart. In group 1, 29 of 41 patients (70.7%; CI, 57%–85%) had successful outcomes. In group 2, 12 of 42 patients (29%; CI, 12%–42%) had successful outcomes. In group 3, 45 of 81 patients (56%; CI, 45%–66%) had successful outcomes. In group 4, 20 of 45 patients (44%; CI, 30%–59%) had successful outcomes.