Percutaneous treatment of the pathology of intervertebral discs has been very well known for many years.
First results, using mechanical nucleotoms, were published in 1980 but were quickly stopped because of a
high level of complications. These complications were due to the devices that were too aggressive for the soft
tissues around the disc.
During this time, different techniques were developed, using only a needle with enzymes (chymopapaine),
laser, radiofrequency, corticoids or ozone.
And recently micromechanical devices like herniatome have been used.
All these techniques are well adapted to pathologies such as disc herniation, nerve root compression, or very
important disc bulging.
The routine use of lumbar MRI is also very important:
– Firstly to establish the target; the pathological disc related to the clinical symptoms
– Secondly because an important number of patients are found to have only degenerative discs,
without herniation.
Presently for all these patients percutaneous treatment is proposed because it is very simple, non invasive
and without risk.
The main problem is to find a treatment that decreases the intradiscal inflammation, and if possible help the
disc to regenerate. At this time corticoids are the only possibility.
Because of the good results obtained with RegenPRP in decreasing the inflammation and allowing mechanical
restoration in all tendinous lesions; we are using RegenPRP in intra discal injections after the degenerative
part of the disc has been removed by percutaneous approach.
In this study, we present the technique, the MRI results, the indications, and also the first results.
