British Journal of Neurosurgery· 2011Q3
Acute disc herniation in the elderly
- 5citations
- Q3SCImago
- 2011year
Short summary
Acute disc prolapse is rare in the elderly (7.4% of discectomies) and predominantly affects the upper lumbar and lower thoracic spine, unlike younger patients who primarily present with lower lumbar herniations.
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Key points
- Elderly patients represent a small fraction (7.4%) of those undergoing discectomy for acute disc prolapse.
- Younger patients (25-45 years) account for the majority (59.7%) of discectomies for acute disc prolapse.
- Disc herniation levels differ significantly between age groups: <50% in the elderly vs. 97% in the young at L4/5 or L5/S1.
- Approximately 10% of acute disc prolapses in the elderly occur in the thoracic spine.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute disc prolapse in young adults has been studied extensively. However, little is known about acute disc prolapse in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to define the features of acute disc prolapse in the elderly. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: Elderly (≥ 65 years) patients who had lumbar or thoracic discectomy for acute (< 3 months) disc prolapse in our unit between July 2004 and March 2010 were identified. For comparison, we used a 'young' (25-45 years) patient cohort with acute thoracic or lumbar disc prolapse. Data collected included age, symptom onset, preoperative signs and spinal level. RESULTS: During the study period, 390 patients had discectomy, of which 59.7% were 'young' and 7.4% 'elderly'. The young and elderly patients had significantly different distributions of prolapsed disc levels. In the young, 97% of all disc protrusions were at L4/5 or L5/S1, but < 50% were at these levels in the elderly. In the elderly, about 10% of disc protrusions were thoracic. CONCLUSIONS: Acute disc prolapse is rare in the elderly and primarily affects the upper lumbar and lower thoracic spine.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. British Journal of Neurosurgery, 2011 · DOI ↗
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Field: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Pathology and Forensic MedicineMedicine