Percutaneous intradiscal laser ablation in the lumbar spine

Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of percutaneous intradiscal laser ablation in the lumbar spine is adequate to support the use of this procedure provided that normal arrangements are in place for clinical governance, consent and audit.

Patients selected for the procedure should be limited to those with severe pain refractory to conservative treatment, in whom imaging studies show bulging of an intact disc, and who do not have neurological deficit requiring surgical decompression.