Primary results of the 3-in-1 technique of Disc-FX system for the discogenic low back pain / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of the 3-in-1 technique of Disc-FX system,namelydiscectomy,radiofrequency ablation and annuloplasty for discogenic low back pain in the early stage.MethodsFrom February 2010 to February 2011,40 patients with the discogenic low back pain underwent discectomy,radiofrequency ablation and annuloplasty using Disc-FX system were retrospectively analyzed,including 22 males and 18 females with an average age of 38.7 years(range,32-58 years).The visual analogue scale (VAS) scoring was applied to evaluate the back and low limb pain at preoperative,postoperative 1week,3 months,6 months,and last follow-up.The Macnab score was also evaluated at last follow-up.Results All the patients were followed up for average 13.8 months (range,6-18 months).The operative time averaged 26 min(range,20-40 min).No surgical complication was found during the follow-up.The VAS of preoperative low back pain was 6.60±1.47,VAS score of low back pain at postoperative 1 week,3 months,6 months,and final follow-up were 1.05±0.68,1.15±0.70,1.00±0.62,0.95±0.63,respectively.The postoperative VAS of low back pain decreased significantly compared with that preoperative.The VAS of preoperative limb pain was 3.05±1.23,VAS score of limb pain at postoperative 1 week,3 months,6 months,and final follow-up after operation were 1.10±0.74,1.15±0.70,1.10±0.72,0.95±0.54,respectively.The postoperative VAS of limb pain decreased significantly compared with that preoperative.The evaluation of Macnab score were excellent in 20 patients,good in 17,fair in 2,and poor in 1,suggesting an effective rate of 92.5％ (37/40).Conclusion Disc-FX system,which combined three surgical technique in one procedure,provides a new choice for orthopedics to treat discogenic low back pain.It can give satisfactory clinical outcomes during a short-term followup,but the long term clinical outcomes remains unknown.