Infection of the intervertebral space following conventional and microsurgical operation on the herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. A controlled clinical trial.

Review of the literature reveals that considerable knowledge has accumulated on intervertebral space infection following lumbar disc surgery. This is based on more than 400 observations. There are, however, no unifying concepts regarding the pathogenesis of the condition. While the reported incidence has seemed to increase in the last three decades, we noticed a significant reduction in frequency of this important complication of lumbar disc surgery after introducing microsurgical techniques. The significance of this finding is discussed with respect to pathogenesis.