ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:For reason of pathological particularity, treatments for young adult patients with lumbar disc herniation require more demanding procedures. Traditional discectomy and rigid fixation and fusion receive a lower clinical satisfaction rate because of their concomitant complications. Waveflex is a semi-rigid fixation system with non-fusion pedicle screws. Once combined with the technology of annulus repair, it can maintain the normal movement of the segments, and can thus raise clinical satisfaction rate. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the short-term efficacy of the treatment of young adult lumbar disc herniation through the technology of the posterior Waveflex non-fusion pedicle screw elastic fixed smal window nucleus pulposus extirpation associated with annulus repair. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with lumbar disc herniation were involved in this study, among which, 18 cases in the elastic fixation group were subjected to a posterior lumbar smal window nucleuspulposus extraction along with annulus repair together bound with Waveflex elastic fixation; the rest 20 cases in the nucleus pulposus removal group underwent simple nucleus pulposus extirpation. After these operations, a series of folow-up study was conducted, including: folow-up analysis of clinical efficacy and complications, colection of low-back pain visual analogue scores, colection of Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores (JOA), regular assessment of Oswestry dysfunction index, and reevaluation of the lumbar lateral radiographs related indicators. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Folow-up visits to the patients were conducted 12-20 months later since the operations. Both groups showed a better performance than before treatment in the pain visual analogue scale, low back pain JOA score, and Oswestry dysfunction index of low-back pain (P < 0.05) during the last visit. The pain visual analogue scale, low back pain JOA score, and Oswestry dysfunction index of low-back pain in the dynamic fixation group were superior to those in the nucleus pulposus removal group (P <0.05). Stil in the last folow-up, operative segment disc height in the dynamic fixation group was greater than that before treatment, and the operative segment range of motion was smaler than that before treatment (P <0.05). These results suggest that compared to nucleus pulposus removal, Waveflex system associated with nucleus pulposus excision annulus repair has a more satisfactory effect in the early recovery of lumbar spine function and exerts a positive effect on the stability of the operated segments in the treatment of lumbar protrusion of the intervertebral disc in young adults.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Spinal posterior surgery is the most common treatment method for thoracolumbar fracture. During exposure of conventional posterior surgery, a wide-range stripping and pul ing of paraspinal muscles easily induced failure syndrome of lumbar surgery. OBJECTIVE:To compare the reset conditions and stability of thoracolumbar fractures after treatment with pedicle screw paraspinal muscle approach and conventional posterior median approach fixation. METHODA total of 62 patients with thoracolumbar fractures without nerve injury were retrospectively analyzed. 22 patients were treated with paraspinal muscle approach and general spine system. 21 patients were treated with conventional median approach and general spine system. 19 patients were treated with conventional median approach and AF internal fixation system. The therapeutic effects of the three kinds of fixation methods were compared by comparing clinical indexes in patients of the three groups, including operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, dead space volume, scores of the Visual Analogue Scale of back pain, wound complications, height of injured vertebrae and the Cobb angle. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage and dead space volume were better in the paraspinal muscle approach and general spine system group than in the conventional median approach and general spine system group and conventional median approach and AF internal fixation system group (P0.05). No significant difference in scores of the Visual Analogue Scale of back pain was visible among the three groups at 1 week after fixation (P>0.05). The scores of the Visual Analogue Scale of back pain were apparently lower in the paraspinal muscle approach and general spine system group than in the conventional median approach and general spine system group and conventional median approach and AF internal fixation system group at 3 and 6 months after fixation. No incision infection was observed in patients of the three groups. These results suggested that compared with conventional posterior median approach, paraspinal muscle approach has some advantages, such as smal trauma, less bleeding, postoperative rapid recovery, and high degree of satisfaction. The effects of general spine system and AF internal fixation system in the repair of thoracolumbar fractures on internal fixation are similar, but general spine system has some advantages such as simple to be operated, save time, less bleeding, stable fixation and good reduction. General spine system combined with paraspinal muscle approach is a good method to repair thoracolumbar spine fracture.