Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Percutaneous intradiscal laser ablation in the lumbar spine.
It replaces the previous guidance on Laser lumbar discectomy (NICE interventional procedures guidance 27, December 2003).
Description
Discs that act like cushions between the bones of the spine can sometimes get damaged and protrude onto nerves, causing back and leg pain, and numbness and weakness in the leg.
In percutaneous intradiscal laser ablation, a needle is inserted through the outer cover of the disc, into its jelly-like centre. A laser is then inserted through the needle to destroy part of the disc, with the aim of shrinking it.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance