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FINDISC-Pain, Finnish Discectomy Trial on the Benefits and Harms of Surgery in Patients With Lumbar Disc Herniation
Sponsor: Helsinki University Central Hospital
Summary
The FINDISC trial studies whether common back operation, microdiscectomy, is effective and safe for treating sciatica caused by a lumbar disc herniation. The study includes people whose leg pain has not improved after at least six weeks of non-surgical treatment. The FINDISC trial aims to recruit and randomly allocate 122 participants to receive either the actual operation (discectomy) or a placebo (sham) surgery. The placebo (sham) procedure involves anesthesia and an approach similar to the real operation, but no removal of disc material or bone. Participants and healthcare staff, excluding the surgical team, will not know which treatment was given. The study compares pain relief, recovery, daily functioning, quality of life, and harms between the two groups. The goal of the study is to provide reliable evidence to help patients and clinicians decide whether microdiscectomy offers meaningful benefits compared with placebo surgery.
Official title: FINDISC-Pain, Finnish Discectomy Trial - a Randomised, Placebo-surgery Controlled Trial. An Efficacy Trial Designed to Prove That Discectomy Can Work.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 60 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
122
Start Date
2026-02-16
Completion Date
2030-12
Last Updated
2026-02-18
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Microdiscectomy
Lumbar microdiscectomy involves a surgical approach with skin and adipose layer incision, and subperiosteal dissection of posterior spinal muscles. After the approach the intervention involves lumbar spinal canal entry, resection of ligamentum flavum and removal of herniated disc fragments. Removal of bone from lamina and intervertebral disc space entry are performed only when necessary.
Placebo-surgery
The placebo-surgery procedure involves an identical incision and approach as in the microdiscectomy group, but it does not include entry to the spinal canal, and no removal of disc material or bone
Locations (1)
Helsinki University Central Hospital
Helsinki, Finland