40 Korean J Pain Vol. 24, No. 1, 2011 years (mean 47.8 ± 11.9 years) (Table 1). At the first presentation, 9 patients complained of a dominant radicular pain, 4 of a dominant axial pain, and 9 of similar degree of axial and radicular pain. According to the MRI reading by the radiologist, disc protrusion was demonstrated in 17 patients, extrusion in 2, and stenosis in 3. Disc disorders proven on the MRI were encountered in our study at 4 disc levels, including C3-4 (n = 6), C4-5 (n = 12), C5-6 (n = 14), and C6-7 (n = 14). For the proven disc disorders, 6 patients received the nucleoplasty treat- ment at 1 level, 8 at 2 levels, 8 at 3 levels; therefore, the mean number of disc that received nucleoplasty treatment was 2.1 ± 0.8 level (Table 1). The nucleoplasty was suc- cessfully carried out on all discs, and there were no abnor- mal side effects. The preprocedure mean VAS score was 9.3 ± 0.9 and the mean VAS score improved to 3.7 ± 2.1 at post- procedure 1 month, and 3.4 ± 2.3 at postprocedure 6 months. There were statistically significant differences in VAS scores at preprocedure and postprocedure 1 month (P ＜ 0.05) (Fig. 2). The clinical outcomes of the nucleoplasty according to the Modified MacNab criteria about the pa- tient satisfaction with improvement in quality of life, pain Fig. 3. Outcome of the nucleoplasty according to the modified Macnab criteria at 6 months. Fig. 4. Pre- and post-nucleo- plasty Magnetic Resonance Imaging for a 29-year-old man. Preoperative sagittal (A) and axial (B) images show the disc protrusion with mild cord indentation at C5-6 intervertebral disc level. Postoperative sagittal (C) and axial (D) images show the volume reduction of protruded intervertebral disc segment.