Intradiscal injection of oxygen-ozone gas mixture for the treatment of cervical disc herniations.

Abstract

For disc herniations the use of open surgical approaches is reduced since new percutaneous methods allowing shrinkage of the disc and improvement of the radicular function are gaining interest. Studies on the spontaneous disappearance of disc fragments have demonstrated autoimmune responses with a chronic inflammatory reaction. Also radicular pain has been shown to be mostly due to biochemical mechanisms. Researchers in different fields surprisingly noticed that a brief, calculated, oxidative stress by ozone administration may correct a persistent imbalance due to excessive, chronic oxidative injury. Oxygen-ozone gas injection in painful patients has a dramatic effect on clinical symptoms. On these bases the intradiscal injection of oxygen-ozone gas has been conceived. We report the treatment on a series of patients affected by cervical disc pathology, treated by intradiscal injection of oxygen-ozone gas mixture. The effects both on pain and on radicular dysfunction are impressive. The morphological effect of the treatment was also evaluated by pathological examination.