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BACKGROUND: The incidence of lumbar spinal stenosis with vertebral instability is increasing year by year, which can cause symptoms such as waist and leg pain, lower limbs feeling numbness and intermittent claudication. In recent years, scholars have tried various minimally invasive treatment methods to further reduce the trauma and complications of surgery. The improvement of the clinical effect of minimally invasive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis with vertebral instability is an important issue to be solved. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mid-long-term effect of only placed expandable interbody fusion cage in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with vertebral instability using micro-endoscopic discectomy system. METHODS: A retrospective, self-control clinical trial was conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2012 to 2014. Totally 35 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis combined with vertebral instability were treated by only placed expandable interbody fusion cage using micro-endoscopic discectomy system. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) All 35 patients were followed-up for 60-85 months, mean (70.17±5.40) months. Among these patients, lumbar interbody fusion in 1 segment, 2 segments and 3 segments was performed in 6, 20 and 9 cases, respectively. A total of 73 intervertebral spaces were fused. (2) The mean operation time was 53.49±9.13 minutes (range, 35-75 minutes). The mean blood loss was 114.86±54.23 mL (range, 50-250 mL). (3) Dural rupture occurred in one case during operation and then hypotensive cranial pressure headache occurred after operation. Headache gradually eased after the patient received rehydration and analgesic treatment for 3 days. Poor incision healing occurred in one case after operation and then healed well after one-week vacuum sealing drainage technique. (4) The Visual Analogue Scale scores, Oswestry Disability Index, and height of intervertebral space were significantly decreased at 1 week, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and the final follow-up compared to the preoperative ones. At 6 months after the operation, 31(42.5%) intervertebral spaces reached a strong fusion, 25(34.2%) possible fusion, and 17(23.3%) did not reach fusion. At 1 year after surgery, 51(69.9%) intervertebral spaces achieved a strong fusion and 22(30.1%) achieved possible fusion. At 2 years after surgery, 57(78.1%) intervertebral spaces achieved a strong fusion and 16(21.9%) achieved possible fusion. During final follow-up, 62(84.9%) intervertebral spaces achieved a strong fusion and 11(15.1%) achieved possible fusion. (5) At the last follow-up, cage migration was found in one case. The patient was not treated because of symptomless. (6) Unilateral approach only placed expandable interbody fusion cage by using micro-endoscopic discectomy system is a safe and reliable minimally surgical method, which has a good mid-long-term effect on lumbar spinal stenosis with vertebral instability.
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BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation is mostly accompanied by ipsilateral compression symptoms caused by the pressure of herniated portion on the ipsilateral nerve root. Rare cases are reported to present with contralateral compression symptoms. So there is currently no specific classification and nomenclature for this type of lumbar disc herniation, which is referred to as lumbar disc herniation with contralateral symptoms in this article. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic lumbar nucleus pulposus removal for unilateral versus bilateral decompression in patients with lumbar disc herniation presenting with contralateral symptoms. METHODS: Forty patients with contralateral symptomatic lumbar disc herniation who underwent endoscopic lumbar nucleus pulposus surgery from January 2015 to December 2018 were enrolled in enrolled for retrospective analysis. According to the different decompression methods, the patients were randomly divided into an ipsilateral decompression group (n=20) and a bilateral decompression group (n=20). The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopedics Association (JOA) scores of the lumbar and lower extremities before and at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery were recorded. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by the modified Macnab standard at 12 months after surgery. Dynamic X-rays of the lumbar spine were used to evaluate lumbar stability. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All the 40 patients were followed up for 12-20 months, with an average of 16 months. There were no complications such as dural sac tear and intervertebral space infection in the two groups. The pain in the lower back and lower extremities were significantly relieved in both groups. The postoperative JOA score was significantly higher than that before surgery; and the postoperative VAS scores of the waist and lower extremities were significantly lower than those before surgery (P < 0.05). The VAS and JOA scores in the bilateral decompression group were significantly superior to those in the unilateral decompression group (P < 0.05). The improved Macnab evaluation at 12 months after surgery showed that the excellent and good rate was 70% in the unilateral decompression group, and 95% in the bilateral decompression group, with significant difference between two groups (P < 0.05). Lumbar spine dynamic X-rays at 12 months after surgery showed no lumbar instability or slippage in the two groups. For patients with lumbar disc herniation presenting with contralateral symptoms who underwent percutaneous transforaminal lumbar nucleus pulposus removal, pain symptoms eased off after treatment with two decompression methods, but the bilateral decompression had better postoperative recovery compared with the unilateral decompression.
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Objective: To compare the effectiveness of posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) by unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression with ultrasounic osteotome and traditional tool total laminectomy decompression PLIF in the treatment of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods: The clinical data of 48 patients with single-stage degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis between January 2017 and June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 27 patients were treated with unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression PLIF with ultrasonic osteotome (group A), and 21 patients were treated with total laminectomy and decompression PLIF with traditional tools (group B). There was no significant difference in gender, age, stenosis segment, degree of spinal canal stenosis, and disease duration between the two groups ( P>0.05), which was comparable. The time of laminectomy decompression, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and the occurrence of operation-related complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. Bridwell bone graft fusion standard was applied to evaluate bone graft fusion at last follow-up. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the patients' lumbar and back pain at 3 days, 3 months, and 6 months after operation. Oswestry disability index (ODI) score was used to evaluate the patients' lumbar and back function improvement before operation and at 6 months after operation. Results: The time of laminectomy decompression in group A was significantly longer than that in group B, and the intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume were significantly less than those in group B ( P0.05). At last follow-up, according to Bridwell criteria, there was no significant difference in bone graft fusion between the two groups ( Z=-0.065, P=0.949); the fusion rates of groups A and B were 96.3% (26/27) and 95.2% (20/21) respectively, with no significant difference ( χ2=0.001, P=0.979 ). Conclusion: The treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression PLIF with ultrasonic osteotome can achieve similar effectiveness as traditional tool total laminectomy and decompression PLIF, reduce intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage, and reduce lumbar back pain during short-term follow-up. It is a safe and effective operation method.
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Objective: To design the surgical strategy of percutaneous full-endoscopic bilateral decompression via unilateral posterior approach for bilateral lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and to evaluate the effectiveness. Methods: The percutaneous full-endoscopic bilateral decompression via unilateral posterior approach for bilateral LSS was designed according to the pathological features of LSS. The technique was used to treat 42 patients with LSS between January 2016 and January 2018. There were 18 males and 24 females with an average age of 61.7 years (range, 46-81 years). The duration of symptoms was 1-20 years, with an average of 9.7 years. The surgical segment at L 4, 5 were 27 cases, at L 5, S 1 were 15 cases. The operation time and perioperative complications were recorded. Lumbar X-ray, CT, and MRI examinations were performed at 1 week, 3 months, and 1 year after operation. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the low back pain and leg pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used to evaluate the lumbar function, and single continuous walking distance (SCWD) was used to evaluate lower extremity nerve function. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by MacNab criteria at 1 year after operation. Results: All patients underwent surgery successfully. The operation time was 68-141 minutes with an average of 98.2 minutes. All 42 patients were followed up 12-24 months with an average of 18.8 months. There were 2 cases of dural tears during operation, and 1 case of transient dysfunction of the lower limbs of the decompression channel after operation. All of them were cured after corresponding treatment. No serious complications such as death, major bleeding, or irreversible nerve injury occurred during follow-up. No segmental instability was found according to postoperative lumbar hyperextension and flexion X-ray films, and postoperative CT and MRI imaging showed that the stenotic lumbar spinal canal was significantly enlarged, and the compression of the nerve root was sufficient. The VAS score of low back pain and leg pain, ODI score, and SCWD at each time point after operation were significantly improved when compared with those before operation ( P<0.05); the indexes were significantly improved over time after operation, and the differences were significantly ( P<0.05). The clinical efficacy was evaluated by MacNab standard at 1 year after operation, and the results were excellent in 18 cases, good in 20 cases, fair in 3 cases, and poor in 1 case. The excellent and good rate was 90.5%. Conclusion: The percutaneous full-endoscopic bilateral decompression via unilateral posterior approach for LSS is a safe and effective procedure. A well-designed surgical strategy and mastery of its technical points are important guarantees for successful operation and satisfactory results.
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Objective A retrospective study to determine the mid-and long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of unilateral instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with bilateral decompression via unilateral paramedian incision.Methods From J ul.,2007 to J un.,2010,73 patients with single segmental lumbar stenosis were collected in this study.All of 73 patients had bilateral signs and symptoms of stenosis,and accepted the unilateral TLIF with bilateral decompression via unilateral paramedian incision.The oswestry disability index (ODI),Japanese orthopedic association scale (JOA),visual analog scale (VAS),angle of lumbar lordosis (LL) and angle of segmental lordosis (SL) were calculated and compared at pre-operation,six months after operation and last follow up.In addition,the operating time,blood loss,length of hospital stay,complications and fusion rate were also recorded.Results There were 30 males and 43 females in this study.The mean age,mean operation time,mean blood loss and mean length of hospital stay was (57.7 ± 10.1) years,(92.0 ± 26.7)minutes,(150.5 ± 130.3) mL and (12.3 ± 2.7) days,respectively.The follow up was 5 years at least and the mean follow up was (79.4 ± 11.1) months.The ODI,JOA and VAS at six months after operation and last follow up were significantly better than those at pre-operation.As for the sagittal alignment assessment,the LL and SL at six months after operation and last follow up also increased significantly compared with those at pre-operation.All of 73 patients achieved solid interbody fusion.Conclusions Unilateral instrumented TLIF with bilateral decompression via unilateral paramedian incision is an effective innovation.Compared with the traditional TLIF,it could not only reduced the surgical injury and operation cost but also achieve the same ideal effect.
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Objective To evaluate the characteristics and efficacy of microscope-assisted bilateral decompression via unilateral approach for the treatment of lumbar stenosis. Methods From June 2007 to June 2010, Sixty case lumbar stenosis with bilateral decompression were treated via unilateral approach under microscopy. Patients were followed up from 6 to 24 months, average (12 ± 4.7) months. Results The pain level of each patient was assessed both before and after the opeartion, using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Intermittent claudication was completely relieved in 57 out of 60 cases, moderately relieved in 3 cases. VAS score decreased from pre-operational 9.08 ± 0.76 to post-operational 2.33 ± 1.43, and there was significantly difference between them. There was no recurrent case during the whole follow-up. Conclusion Bilateral decompression via unilateral approach under microscope is proved to be an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of lumbar stenosis, and have the advantages of minimal invasion, less pain, quick recovery, better effect, little influence on the spinal stability.
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OBJECTIVE: The minimally invasive spine surgery has become popular to reduce approach-related injury associated with the traditional spine surgery. The unilateral laminetomy and bilateral decompression(ULBD) using a microscopic tubular retractor system preserves interpedicular portion of the lamina, the spinous processes, supraspinous and interspinous ligamentous complex, contralateral facet and paraspinal musculature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ULBD with microscope and tubular retractor system. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 24 patients who was diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis and treated with ULBD. The visual analogue scale(VAS) and oswestry disability index(ODI) to pain were checked for clinical assessment. We postoperatively observed a presence of spinal instability in flexion-extension radiographs. The cross sectional area (CSA) of dural sac was measured in the preoperative and postoperative magnetic resonance(MR) images. The mean follow up period was 18 months. RESULTS: The subjects were composed of 16 men and 8 women and average age was 67.4 years. Clinical improvement was assessed with VAS and ODI scale at last follow-up. The average VAS score of back pain was decreased from 3.6+/-1.3 to 1.7+/-0.9 after surgery(p<0.01). The average VAS score of leg pain also was decreased from 6.9+/-0.9 to 2.1+/-1.0 after surgery(p<0.01). Average ODI was decreased from 49.0+/-7.3 to 23.2+/-6.2(p<0.01). No patient developed spinal instability after operation on the flexion-extension radiographs. Postoperative CT and MR images showed bila- teral decompression by unilateral laminectomy. The mean dural CSA was significantly increased from 50.8+/-13.5mm2 to 130.5+/-16.5mm2(p<0.01). Complications were detected in two patients(dural tear in one and transient dysesthesia in 1 subject). CONCLUSIONS: ULBD using the microscopic retractor tubular system minimized trauma to posterior lumbar component with favorable clinical outcome. ULBD could be considered to be useful and effective technique for lumbar spinal stenosis.
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Female , Humans , Male , Back Pain , Decompression , Follow-Up Studies , Laminectomy , Leg , Ligaments , Magnetics , Magnets , Paresthesia , Retrospective Studies , Spinal Stenosis , SpineABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our retrospective study is to evaluate the surgical outcome of patients who underwent unila- teral approach for bilateral decompression surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis and to compare outcomes between geriatric and younger patients. METHODS: We reviewed records of 85 patients with an average age of 64 years at the time of surgery after the unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis between 2005 and 2007. To compare clinical and functional outcomes between younger and geriatric patients, they were divided by age into 2 groups: Group A included patients 65 years of age or older and Group B contained patients younger than 65 years. The study parameters were set to ensure a follow-up period of at least 3 months and hospital records and phone-call review were analyzed for patients' clinical and demographic data, co-morbidity, type of stenosis, clinical and functional outcomes. Clinical outcomes were measured using the scale of Finneson and Cooper and the visual analog scale score for leg and back pain. Functional outcome was assessed with change of walking distance of patients. RESULTS: Follow-up was completed in 80(94.1%) of 85 patients and Group A included 44 patients and Group B did 36 patients. The number of decompressed level showed 2.26 with similar results in both groups(group A, 2.25; Group B, 2.28). The number of co-morbidity was significantly higher incidence of 2.36 in geriatric patients than that of 1.67 in younger individuals. Other demographic data and type of stenosis were similar between two groups. For each back and leg pain, 86.3%(Group A: 86.4%; Group B, 80.6%) and 83.8%(Group A: 90.9%; Group B: 80.6%) had an excellent-to-fair operative result under the scale of Finneson and Cooper. Improvement rate of walking distance was 81.5% of patients and higher in group B(89.3%) than in group A(75.6%), however, there was not statistical significance. Three major complications were occurred in all patient groups, the first patient with chronic renal failure suffered from immediately postoperative epidural hematoma and the second patient had wound dehiscence. The third patient with no improvement was operated with fusion surgery at the other hospital nonetheless she had not improved until now. CONCLUSIONS: The ULBD allowed sufficient and safe decompression of the neural structures and adequate preservation of vertebral stability with acceptable complication rates. This technique could provide a minimally invasive approach for LSS in elderly patients frequently having comorbidities as well as younger one.
Subject(s)
Aged , Humans , Back Pain , Comorbidity , Constriction, Pathologic , Decompression , Dietary Sucrose , Follow-Up Studies , Hematoma , Hospital Records , Incidence , Kidney Failure, Chronic , Laminectomy , Leg , Retrospective Studies , Spinal Stenosis , WalkingABSTRACT
Between March 1995 and March 1996, we used a newly-designed neurosurgical procedure, based on 'keyhole surgery', to operate on 20 patients diagnosed as suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis without instability. The unique surgical steps involved in this procedure are: 1) three-quarter prone position of the patient; 2) small paramedian skin incision; 3) half-way incision of the spinous process; 4) small turnover funnel shaped unilateral laminectomy and wide forminotomy using high speed drills; 5) extensive ligament flavectomy; 6) microsurgical decompression without using nerve root retractor; 7) cosmetic wound closure. In some cases, if bilateral radicular symptom was present, the contralateral nerve root was explored through the unilateral laminectomy opening; this was achieved by changing the inclination of the base of the spinous process and extensively removing of the ligamentum flavum. Compared with conventional procedures, these technical innovations offer both procedural adventages and a better clinical outcome. Because of the small patient populations and short follow-up period, this technique requires further investigation, but we hope it will provide another option for future lumbar stenosis surgery. Further technical refinements and long-term follow-up results will be reported elsewhere.