EXPRESS: Long-term effects on functional brain networks in adolescents treated for lumbar disc herniation

Long-term effects of lumbar disc herniation treatment on brain function are poorly understood, and it is unclear when surgery should be recommended over non-operative treatment. The overall aim of the present study was to determine potential long-term effects on brain networks among individuals who received either surgical or non-operative treatment for lumbar disc herniation in adolescence. Brain network connectivity was assessed for individuals who received surgical treatment or non-operative treatment, and controls with no history of lumbar disc herniation. Prior to analysis, brain connectivity measures between groups were determined as main outcome, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. On average 12 years after treatment onset, the surgically treated cohort exhibited distinctly different functional brain connectivity, compared with both non-operative treatment and controls. The difference was neither attributed to self-reported pain, nor lumbar spine morphology. The findings suggest that surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniation in adolescence may be associated with a long-term imprint on the functional brain connectome.