Long-term results of chymopapain injections.

A 10- to 14-year follow-up questionnaire of 146 patients treated for sciatica from a herniated nucleus pulposus by chymopapain (Discase) injection revealed a durable, satisfactory result in 66%. In the 102 patients rated as excellent or good, 5% required surgical discectomy 50-82 months after injection. One-, two-, and three-level injections were performed and the number of levels injected did not influence the success of the procedure or the subsequent need for open surgical intervention. There was no correlation shown between the incidence of job change or unemployment and the number of levels injected.