Clinical Research Directory
Browse clinical research sites, groups, and studies.
Postoperative Pain and Analgesic Use Following Lumbar Discectomy: A Comparative Study of Endoscopic Surgery and Open Surgery
Sponsor: Saint-Gregoire Private Hospital Center
Summary
The lifetime prevalence of lumbosacral radiculopathy is 3 to 5 percent. The most common cause is a lumbar disc herniation. In 10 to 20 percent of patients, medical treatment is insufficient, and surgery is recommended. Lumbar discectomy is the standard surgical treatment. In recent years, minimally invasive techniques-and endoscopic approaches in particular-have become widely adopted. The main advantage of these techniques lies in their reduced invasiveness, which allows for the preservation of muscle and ligament structures, with less extensive detachment and cutting. This preservation is likely to enable faster rehabilitation during the first few weeks and months after surgery, as well as a shorter hospital stay. However, the available data focus primarily on medium- and long-term outcomes, and few studies have specifically examined early postoperative pain. Yet this immediate period is a critical factor, particularly regarding patient comfort, analgesic use, and length of hospital stay; it is a major determinant of the quality of immediate recovery. There is very little robust comparative data from real-world clinical settings evaluating the impact of surgical technique on early postoperative pain following lumbar discectomy. In this context, this study aims to compare changes in short-term low back pain intensity following lumbar discectomy, depending on the technique used (endoscopic versus conventional open surgery), under real-world clinical conditions.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
140
Start Date
2026-09-01
Completion Date
2029-08-01
Last Updated
2026-08-14
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Endoscopic surgery
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, with the patient in the knee-chest position. After identifying the surgical site using a surgical fluoroscope, sterile skin preparation is performed (by swabbing the area and applying sterile drapes). The approach is percutaneous and transmuscular, using one channel for instruments and another for the endoscopic camera. After exposing the spinal canal, the nerve root is identified and protected. The herniated disc is then accessed following an incision in the posterior longitudinal ligament and resected using a disc forceps. The procedure concludes with skin closure.
Open surgery
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, with the patient in the knee-chest position. After identifying the surgical level using a surgical fluoroscope, sterile skin preparation is performed (by swabbing the area and applying sterile drapes). A skin incision is made to allow for a posterior approach with muscle dissection. Recalibration is performed to expose the nerve structures. The nerve root is identified and protected; the herniated disc is then accessed after incision of the posterior longitudinal ligament and resected using a disc forceps. Closure is performed layer by layer (fascia, subcutaneous tissue, skin).