COVID-19 and Spontaneous Resolution of Lumbar Disc Prolapse: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Patients Awaiting Microdiscectomy.

Our single-centre retrospective analysis revealed that for over a third of LDP patients, the prolonged post-pandemic waiting list times for elective microdiscectomy resulted in their surgery not taking place either due to spontaneous clinical improvement or proven radiological regression. Considering this, a prolonged conservative approach to LDP may be appropriate in some patients - allowing time for natural resolution, whilst avoiding perioperative risks.