TABLE I.
Clinical Baseline Characteristics of “As Treated” Randomized Controlled Trial and Observational Cohorts Combined
| Clinical Characteristic | Patients with Symptoms for ≤6 Months* (N = 927) | Patients with Symptoms for >6 Months* (N = 265) | P Value |
| Pain radiation | 903 (97%) | 259 (98%) | 0.94 |
| Positive straight leg raise test | |||
| Ipsilateral | 599 (65%) | 151 (57%) | 0.028† |
| Contralateral/bilateral | 139 (15%) | 49 (18%) | 0.2 |
| Neurological deficit | |||
| Any | 715 (77%) | 187 (71%) | 0.034† |
| Reflexes (asymmetrical depression) | 392 (42%) | 89 (34%) | 0.013† |
| Sensory (asymmetrical decrease) | 480 (52%) | 123 (46%) | 0.14 |
| Motor (asymmetrical weakness) | 398 (43%) | 103 (39%) | 0.27 |
| Herniation level | 0.13 | ||
| L2-L3/L3-L4 | 69 (7%) | 19 (7%) | |
| L4-L5 | 341 (37%) | 115 (43%) | |
| L5-S1 | 517 (56%) | 130 (49%) | |
| Herniation type | <0.001† | ||
| Protruding | 229 (25%) | 93 (35%) | |
| Extruded | 621 (67%) | 162 (61%) | |
| Sequestered | 77 (8%) | 9 (3%) | |
| Posterolateral herniation | 722 (78%) | 197 (74%) | 0.26 |
*
The values are given as the number of patients, with the percentage in parentheses.
†
Significant (p < 0.05).