Purpose: Microdiscectomy is the current gold standard surgical treatment for primary lumbar disc herniations that fail non-surgical measures. Herniated nucleus pulposus is the manifestation of underlying discopathy that remains unaddressed with microdiscectomy. Therefore, risk remains of recurrent disc herniation, progression of the degenerative cascade, and on-going discogenic pain. Lumbar arthroplasty allows for complete discectomy, complete direct and indirect decompression of neural elements, restoration of alignment, restoration of foraminal height, and preservation of motion. In addition, arthroplasty avoids disruption of posterior elements and musculoligamentous stabilizers. The purpose of this study is to describe the feasibility of the use of lumbar arthroplasty in the treatment of patients with primary or recurrent disc herniations. In addition, we describe the clinical and peri-operative outcomes associated with this technique.

Methods: All patients that underwent lumbar arthroplasty by a single surgeon at a single institution from 2015 to 2020 were reviewed. All patients with radiculopathy and pre-operative imaging demonstrating disc herniation that received lumbar arthroplasty were included in the study. In general, these patients were those with large disc herniations, advanced degenerative disc disease, and a clinical component of axial back pain. Patient-reported outcomes of VAS back, VAS leg, and ODI pre-operatively, at three months, one year, and at last follow-up were collected. Reoperation rate, patient satisfaction, and return to work were documented at last follow-up.

Results: Twenty-four patients underwent lumbar arthroplasty during the study period. Twenty-two (91.6%) patients underwent lumbar total disc replacement (LTDR) for a primary disc herniation. Two patients (8.3%) underwent LTDR for a recurrent disc herniation after prior microdiscectomy. The mean age was 40 years. The mean pre-operative VAS leg and back pain were 9.2 and 8.9, respectively. The mean pre-operative ODI was 22.3. Mean VAS back and leg pain was 1.2 and 0.5 at three months post-operative. The mean VAS back and leg pain was 1.3 and 0.6 at one year post-operative. The mean ODI was 3.0 at one year post-operative. One patient (4.2%) underwent re-operation for migrated arthroplasty device which required repositioning. At last follow-up, 92% of patients were satisfied with their outcome and would undergo the same treatment again. The mean time for return-to-work was 4.8 weeks. After returning to work, 89% of patients required no further leave of absence for recurrent back or leg pain at last follow-up. Forty-four percent of patients were pain free at last follow-up.

Most patients with lumbar disc herniations can avoid surgical intervention altogether. Of those that require surgical treatment, microdiscectomy may be appropriate for certain patients with preserved disc height and extruded fragments. In a subset of patients with lumbar disc herniation that require surgical treatment, lumbar total disc replacement is an effective option by performing complete discectomy, restoring disc height, restoring alignment, and preserving motion. The restoration of physiologic alignment and motion may result in durable outcomes for these patients. Longer follow-up and comparative and prospective trials are needed to determine how the outcomes of microdiscectomy may differ from lumbar total disc replacement in the treatment of primary or recurrent disc herniation.