Regresión espontánea de la hernia discal lumbar de dos féminas / Spontaneous regression of the lumbar herniated disk in two women

Se describen los casos clínicos de dos féminas que habían padecido lumbociatalgias durante varios meses, por lo cual acudieron al Hospital Provincial Docente Dr. Joaquín Castillo Duany de Santiago de Cuba, donde se les diagnosticó hernia discal lumbar y recibieron seguimiento médico en la consulta de Neurocirugía por más de un año. Ante la negativa de ser intervenidas quirúrgicamente, se prescribieron esquemas terapéuticos convencionales y alternativos, así como fisioterapia. En ambas pacientes se evidenció regresión espontánea de la discopatía, lo que se confirmó mediante estudios evolutivos de resonancia magnética. Dicha correlación entre la mejoría clínica y la recuperación imagenológica del disco intervertebral no siempre sucede en la evolución de estos casos.

The case reports of two women that had suffered from lumbar sciatic pain during several months are described, reason why they went to Dr. Joaquín Castillo Duany Teaching Provincial Hospital in Santiago de Cuba, where they were diagnosed lumbar herniated disk and received medical follow up in the Neurosurgery Service for more than a year. Before the negative of being surgically intervened, conservative and alternative therapeutic outlines were prescribed, as well as physiotherapy. In both patients spontaneous regression of the lumbar herniated disk was evidenced, which was confirmed by means of evolutionary studies of magnetic resonance. This correlation between the clinical improvement and the imaging recovery of the intervertebral disk doesn't always happen in the clinical course of these cases.

Lumbar Disc Herniation Presented with Contralateral Symptoms

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to unravel the putative mechanism underlying the neurologic deficits contralateral to the side with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and to elucidate the treatment for this condition. METHODS: From January 2009 to June 2015, 8 patients with LDH with predominantly contralateral neurologic deficits underwent surgical treatment on the side with LDH with or without decompressing the symptomatic side. A retrospective review of charts and radiological records of these 8 patients was performed. The putative mechanisms underlying the associated contralateral neurological deficits, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electromyography (EMG), and the adequate surgical approach are discussed here. RESULTS: MRI revealed a similar laterally skewed paramedian disc herniation, with the apex deviated from the symptomatic side rather than directly compressing the nerve root; this condition may generate a contralateral traction force. EMG revealed radiculopathies in both sides of 6 patients and in the herniated side of 2 patients. Based on EMG findings and the existence of suspicious lateral recess stenosis of the symptomatic side, 6 patients underwent bilateral decompression of nerve roots and 2 were subjected to a microscopic discectomy to treat the asymptomatic disc herniation. No specific conditions such as venous congestion, nerve root anomaly or epidural lipomatosis were observed, which may be considered the putative pathomechanism causing the contralateral neurological deficits. The symptoms resolved significantly after surgery. CONCLUSION: The traction force generated on the contralateral side and lateral recess stenosis, rather than direct compression, may cause the contralateral neurologic deficits observed in LDH.

Ozonoterapia y magnetoterapia en pacientes con hernias discales / Ozone therapy and magnetotherapy in patients with herniated disk

Se efectuó un estudio de intervención terapéutica en 20 pacientes de 40-59 años de edad con hernia discal, atendidos en el Servicio de Rehabilitación del Policlínico Docente "Ramón López Peña" de Santiago de Cuba, desde agosto del 2013 hasta enero del 2014, con vistas a evaluar la eficacia de la ozonoterapia y la magnetoterapia. Se aplicaron escalas para el dolor, fuerza muscular, grado articular y capacidad funcional. Predominaron el sexo masculino (60,0 %), el grupo etario de 40-49 años (45,0 %), la región lumbar como localización anatómica (55,0 %), el esfuerzo lumbar (35,0 %) y la espondiloartrosis (30,0 %) como antecedentes patológicos personales más comunes. Al finalizar el tratamiento hubo mejoría en 85,0 % de los afectados, lo cual demostró que la combinación de ambas terapias fue efectiva para elevar sus capacidades física y funcional.

A therapeutic intervention study was carried out in 20 patients aged 40 to 59 with herniated disk, assisted in the Rehabilitation Service of "Ramón López Peña" Teaching Polyclinic in Santiago de Cuba, from August, 2013 to January, 2014, aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of ozone therapy and magnetotherapy. Scales were applied for the pain, muscular force, articular degree and functional skills. The male sex (60.0 %), the 40-49 age group (45.0%), the lumbar region as anatomical localization (55.0 %), the lumbar effort (35.0 %) and the spondyloarthrosis (30.0 %) prevailed as most common personal pathological history. When concluding the treatment there was improvement in 85.0 % of those affected, which demonstrated that the combination of both therapies was effective to elevate their physical and functional skills.

Epidural neuroplasty/epidural adhesiolysis

Epidural neuroplasty is a treatment modality for back pain and/or radiating pain caused by mechanical compression or neural inflammation of intra-spinal neural structures. Since epidural neuroplasty was first introduced as a treatment for pain caused by epidural adhesion such as failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS), it has been performed as a treatment for many kinds of pain of spinal origin including acute/chronic herniation of intervertebral disc, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, FBSS, epidural adhesion, vertebral compression fracture, vertebral metastasis, resistant multilevel degenerative arthritis, epidural scar pain by infection or meningitis, and whiplash injury. Epidural neuroplasty is a catheterization technique used to treat back pain and/or radiating pain by injecting therapeutic drugs into lesions of epidural space shown as a filling defect in epidurogram. Usually, normal saline, local anesthetics, and steroid are used as therapeutic drugs. The exact mechanisms of action of the procedure are unknown but include 2 postulated mechanisms of action for pain relief. i.e., mechanical adhesiolysis by volume effect and chemical adhesiolysis by injected drugs. Relative large volumes of normal saline injection resolve adhesions and wash out accumulated pain substances; local anesthetics are used for stabilization and analgesia of flaring neural structures and for pain management for procedure related pain; and steroid is used for the treatment of inflammation of neural and peri-neural structures. The resolution of filling defect can be verified by post-procedure epidurogram. The key point of epidural neuroplasty for good results, is the exact localization of the epidural catheter into the epidural lesion.

Lesión iatrogénica de la arteria iliaca común izquierda durante discectomía lumbar posterior / Iatrogenic injury to the left common iliac artery for posterior lumbar discectomy

Las lesiones vasculares durante la cirugía de hernia discal son infrecuentes, pero asociadas con una alta mortalidad dependiendo del vaso afectado, requiriendo de una sospecha diagnóstica y manejo temprano que puedan evitar el desenlace mortal. Dependiendo del nivel intervertebral intervenido las lesiones vasculares comprometerán en mayor o menor frecuencia los diferentes grandes vasos, siendo más frecuentes los traumas a la aorta en niveles altos y el compromiso de los vasos arteriales y venosos ilíacos comunes o sus ramificaciones en niveles inferiores, las estadísticas en cuanto a incidencia se creen son subestimadas debido a la infrecuencia con que son reportados estos casos. El objetivo de este artículo es exponer el caso de una lesión traumática intraoperatoria de la arteria ilíaca común izquierda durante un procedimiento de hemilaminectomia y microdisectomia L5 - S1, en la que la temprana sospecha de la lesión y contar con equipo quirúrgico altamente capacitado en la institución permitió realizar un manejo oportuno sin secuelas neurológicas o vasculares para el paciente. Compartimos este caso dado lo infrecuente de sus reportes en la literatura revisada, si tenemos en cuenta la frecuencia con el que neurocirujano o cirujano de columna realiza procedimientos para corrección de hernias discales, sin dimensionar en muchas ocasiones el alto riesgo de morbi-mortalidad derivadas de una complicación quirúrgica, que en nuestro caso de no haber contado con el equipo quirúrgico idóneo (anestesia, cuidados posoperatorios, cirujanos generales y vasculares), no se hubiera obtenido el buen resultado para el paciente.

Vascular injury during surgery herniated disc are rare, but associated with high mortality depending on the affected vessel, requiring a diagnostic suspicion and early management to avoid a fatal deselance. Depending on the level involved surgical, vascular lesions are more commonly involved trauma of the aorta at high levels and commitment of arterial and venous vessels common iliac, less frequently commits its branches at lower levels. Due to the low incidence of reporting of these cases statistics are underestimated. The aim of this article is to present the case of a traumatic injury intraoperative left common iliac artery for a microdiscectomy procedure hemilaminectomy and L5 - S1, where a timely management was conducted through early suspicion of injury and the surgical team highly trained in the institution. There were no neurological or vascular consequences for the patient. We share this case due to the rareness of their reports in the literature reviewed, if we consider the frequency with which neurosurgeon or spine surgeon performs procedures to correct herniated discs, not to mention the high risk of surgical morbidity and mortality. In our case you have not had the ideal surgical equipment (anesthesia, postoperative care, general and vascular surgeons) had not obtained the good result for the patient.

A Comparison of the Spread Level of the Cervical Epidural Block in Terms of Volume / 대한통증학회지

BACKGROUND: Cervical epidural injection, performed via the interlaminar approach, represents a useful interventional pain management procedure indicated in patients with a cervical herniated disk. Due to thedecreased epidural space in the cervical region, cervical epidural injections may result in potentially serious complications, especially during a large volume injection. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with neck pain due to a cervical herniated disk that were referred to the pain clinic for cervical epidural steroid injection were randomized into two groups. One group received a cervical epidural injection of 4 ml drug and the other group received 2 ml drug. The injected mixture included triamcinolon, ropivacaine and omnipaque. Spread levels of the drug after injection were estimated with the use of C-arm fluoroscopy. RESULTS: Spread levels to the cephalad for patients in the two groups were 4.88 +/- 0.78 segments and 4.53 +/- 0.49 segments, respectively. Spread levels to the caudad for patients in the two groups were 4.59 +/- 0.93 segments and 4.47 +/- 0.51 segments, respectively. The results showed no significant difference in the spread level between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Use of a small volume of drug (2 ml) can provide a sufficient spread level of the injected drug that is desirable for patients with a cervical herniated disk.