INTRODUCTION: lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is currently a prevalent pathology which leads to physical, psychological and social limitations for the patient. The most frequent signs and symptoms are lumbocyatalgia, motor and sensitive disorders and Lasègue's sign. In patients with LDH refractory to medical treatment, discectomy is the standard procedure to improve the symptoms. OBJECTIVES: to study the prognostic relevance of signs and symptoms in patients with LDH refractory to medical treatment. METHODS: a survey was performed, in the main biomedical databases, for articles that studied the percentage of improvement and prognostic value of the preoperative signs and symptoms of patients with LDH. The signs and symptoms evaluated were lumbar pain, leg pain, motor and sensitive disorders and Lasègue's sign. CONCLUSION: the success rate in surgery of patients with LDH refractory to medical treatment is correlated with the absence of lumbalgia, the presence of cyatalgia over up to six months, the sensitive deficit present alone or associated with motor deficit and the presence of positive Lasègue's sign during the preoperative period.
Intervertebral disk displacement; Signs and symptoms; Prognosis
