Plasma disc decompression compared to physiotherapy for symptomatic contained lumbar disc herniation: A prospective randomized controlled trial

IntroductionTo evaluate clinical outcomes with PDD as compared with patients who underwent to standard physiotherapy intervention.Material and methodsOne-hundred-seventy-seven randomly assigned patients with primarily radicular pain associated with a single-level lumbar contained disc herniation were enrolled. Participants received either PDD (89 patients) or conservative physiotherapy care (88 patients).ResultsPatients in the PDD group had significantly greater reduction in leg pain scores and significantly improved VAS (p < 0.001), Oswestry Disability Index (p < 0.05), and 36-Item Short Form, than those in the physiotherapy group at 12 months. On subset analysis, patients achieved even better outcomes after PPD who: were younger, had a shorter period of radiculopathy, of male gender, and lower BMI. Patients with subacute pain reported better outcomes than those with chronic pain in the PDD group.ConclusionsPatient selection for PDD over physiotherapy favored younger patients who presented with a shorter period of pain symptoms and who had a more favorable body habitus.