Clinical and radiological characteristics of lateral and medial disc herniation of the lumbosacral spine
The article studies the clinical and radiological features of a lateral disc herniation in comparison with a medial disc herniation. Lateral disc herniation (foraminal and extraforaminal) has clinical characteristics different from those of medial disc herniation (central and subarticular), including advanced age, more frequent radicular pain, and neurological deficits. Presumably, this is because a lateral disc herniation mechanically irritates or squeezes the exiting nerve root or the dorsal root ganglion inside the narrow canal more directly than a medial disc herniation. 117 patients with a diagnosis of localized disc herniation of the lumbosacral spine and follow-up for at least 12 months after completion of treatment were included in the study and divided into groups of medial and lateral disc herniation in accordance with the anatomical location of the disc herniation in the axial plane of the magnetic resonance image. The lateral group showed a significantly higher proportion of patients with radiating leg pain and multiple levels of herniated discs than the medial group. Patients with lateral disc herniation were older and had a greater proportion of radiating leg pain than patients with medial disc herniation. Lateral disc herniation was more associated with multiple disc herniations and worse clinical outcomes after treatment than medial disc herniation.