Clinical observation of selective nerve block combined with percutaneous posterior endoscopic cervical discectomy in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

【Objective】 To observe the short-term clinical effect of selective nerve block combined with percutaneous posterior endoscopic cervical discectomy （PPECD） in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. 【Methods】 We reviewed 22 patients who received selective nerve block combined with percutaneous posterior endoscopic cervical discectomy （PPECD） for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy from June 2018 to January 2020. We recorded Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） score for treatment evaluation， visual analogue scale （VAS）， the neck disability index score （NDI） preoperative 1 day， postoperative 1 day， 1 month， 3 months， 6 months and 1 year. All data were imported into SPSS26.0 software for analysis and processing. Quantitative data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. The scores of neck VAS， arm VAS， JOA and NDI were compared at different time points by repeated measurement analysis of variance. Paired t-test was used to compare each time point after operation and the first day before operation. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant， and the modified MacNab standard was used to evaluate the clinical effect at the last follow-up. 【Results】 All operations were successfully completed under ultrasound-guided selective nerve block combined with endoscopic operation. The average operation time was 125.6 minutes. The intraoperative blood loss was 2-100 mL and the average blood loss was 19.1 mL. All patients were followed up for 15-33 months， with an average follow-up of 24.1 months. No patients had spinal cord， nerve root and vascular injury， dural tear or other complications. Compared with the preoperative VAS score， the VAS score of neck and upper arm decreased significantly （P<0.05）， while the JOA score increased significantly （P<0.05）， and the preoperative NDI score decreased significantly （P<0.05）. At the last follow-up， the modified Macnab criteria showed there were 15 excellent cases， 5 good cases， 2 medium cases and 0 poor case. The excellence rate was 91%. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging and 3D computed tomography reconstruction of the cervical spine showed that the disc had been fully removed and the nerve root compression at the surgical segment was relieved. 【Conclusion】 Ultrasound-guided selective nerve block combined with percutaneous posterior endoscopic cervical discectomy is a safe and effective minimally invasive surgical method for the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy with reliable short-term efficacy.