Full-Endoscopic Foraminal Decompression for Foraminal Stenosis Following Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture in an Elderly Woman Under Local Anesthesia:A Case Report.

Osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) is common in the elderly population. In this report, we describe a case with radiculopathy due to foraminal stenosis caused by OVF in a very elderly patient that was treated successfully by full-endoscopic foraminotomy under local anesthesia. The patient was an 89-year-old woman who presented with a chief complaint of left leg pain for 5 years. She visited a couple of hospitals and finally consulted us to determine the exact cause of the pain. Computed tomography scans were obtained and selective nerve root block at L3 was performed. The diagnosis was radiculopathy at L3 due to foraminal stenosis following OVF. The patient had severe heart disease, so we decided to avoid surgery under general anesthesia and planned full-endoscopic spine surgery under local anesthesia. We performed transforaminal full-endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy at L3-L4 to decompress the L3 nerve root. The leg pain disappeared completely immediately after surgery. Postoperative computed tomography confirmed appropriate bone resection. The leg pain did not recur during a year of postoperative follow-up. OVF may cause lumbar radiculopathy as a result of foraminal stenosis, and transforaminal full-endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy under local anesthesia would be the best option in an elderly patient with poor general condition. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 179-183, February, 2024.

Return-to-play outcomes after full-endoscopic spine surgery under local anesthesia in professional baseball players: Comparison by timing of surgery.

BACKGROUND: Full-endoscopic spine surgery via a transforaminal approach (TF-FESS) is minimally invasive and could help athletes quickly return to play. When treating professional athletes, we have to consider their season schedule. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of Japanese professional baseball players who underwent TF-FESS and examine how the timing of surgery influenced their postoperative course. METHODS: Ten players who underwent TF-FESS (discectomy, foraminoplasty, or thermal annuloplasty according to their diagnosis) under local anesthesia were analyzed. Multilevel surgeries were performed at the same time in patients with lesions at multiple levels. The patients were divided into three groups according to timing of surgery (pre/during/post-season). Time to complete return to play and duration of official game loss were compared between the three groups. RESULTS: All players (100 %) could return to their original level of professional play after FESS surgery. Seven of the 10 patients underwent two-level surgery. The mean time until complete return to play was 4.6 months (range, 2-8 months) and the mean duration of game loss was 1.5 months (range, 0-4 months). The mean duration of game loss was shorter in the post-season group than in the other groups (0.9 vs 2,4 months), and 4 of 6 patients in the post-season group did not miss any games. CONCLUSIONS: TF-FESS is a good technique for achieving a quick return to play in professional baseball players. In particular, surgery performed during the post-season could allow players to return to play after adequate rehabilitation with no game loss.

Biomechanical Effects of Thoracic Flexibility and Stiffness on Lumbar Spine Loading: A Finite Element Analysis Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of thoracic stiffness on mechanical stress in the lumbar spine during motion. METHODS: To evaluate the effect of preoperative thoracic flexibility, stiff and flexible spine models were created by changing the material properties of ligaments and discs in the thoracic spine. Total laminectomy was performed at L4/5 in stiff and flexible models. A biomechanical investigation and finite element analysis were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. A hybrid loading condition was applied, and the range of motion (ROM) at each segment and maximum stress in the discs and pars interarticularis were computed. RESULTS: In the preoperative model with the stiff thoracic spine, lumbar disc stress, lumbar ROM, and pars interarticularis stress at L5 increased. In contrast, as the thoracic spine became more flexible, lumbar disc stress, lumbar ROM, and pars interarticularis stress at L5 decreased. All L4/5 laminectomy models had increased instability and ROM at L4/5. To evaluate the effect of thoracic flexibility on the lumbar spine, differences between the stiff and flexible thoracic spine were examined: Differences in ROM and intervertebral disc stress at L4/5 in flexion between the stiff and flexible thoracic spine were respectively 0.7° and 0.0179 MPa preoperatively and 1.5° and 0.0367 MPa in the L4/5 laminectomy model. CONCLUSIONS: Biomechanically, disc stress and pars interarticularis stress decrease in the flexible thoracic spine. Flexibility of the thoracic spine reduces lumbar spine loading and could help to prevent stress-related disorders.

Advantages of Full-endoscopic Trans-Kambin's Triangle Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Illustrative Cases.

Various approaches to lumbar interbody fusion have been described. The usefulness of full-endoscopic trans-Kambin's triangle lumbar interbody fusion has recently been reported. This technique has several advantages in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis, including the ability to improve symptoms without decompression surgery. Moreover, given that the entire procedure is performed percutaneously, it can be performed without increasing the operation time or surgical invasiveness, even in obese patients. In this article, we discuss these advantages and illustrate them with representative cases.

Low Back Pain and Lumbar Degeneration in Japanese Professional Baseball Players.

Background: Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Asia. It is known that baseball can easily lead to back pain. However, there has been no survey of low back pain (LBP) and lumbar disc degeneration in Japanese professional baseball players to date. Purpose: To investigate the cause of LBP and lumbar degeneration in professional Japanese baseball players. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of Japanese professional baseball players with LBP who visited our hospital. Data were collected from July 2018 to April 2021. We also investigated whether the results differed between players in their 20s and 30s or between pitchers and fielders. Data analysis was performed using the chi-square test. Results: We surveyed 32 professional baseball players. The most frequent causes of LBP among players in their 20s (n = 21) were lumbar disc herniation (LDH; 57%) and spondylolysis (24%). Of the players with spondylolysis, 50% had adult-onset spondylolysis. Players in their 30s (n = 11) most commonly had discogenic pain (55%) as well as LDH and facet joint arthritis (each 18%). The incidence of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration was significantly higher in players in their 30s (91%) than those in their 20s (14%), as was the incidence of Schmorl nodes and Modic type 1 changes. There was no significant difference in the cause of LBP or the incidence of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration between pitchers and fielders (P = .59). Conclusion: Among professional baseball players in their 20s, lumbar degeneration was less common, and they most frequently developed diseases less related to degeneration, such as LDH. However, among players in their 30s, lumbar degeneration was more advanced, and degenerative diseases such as discogenic pain occurred more frequently. Research on training methods could lead to the prevention of LBP. Our data may be applicable to other professional athletes and will contribute to diagnosis and treatment.

A Technical Pitfall of Decompression with Direct Repair of a Ragged Edge Using the Smiley-Face Rod Method†:†A Case Report.

The smiley-face rod method has been reported to be a successful technique for reducing slippage and repairing pars defects in lumbar spondylolisthesis. However, we encountered a patient who developed right L5 radiculopathy with muscle weakness after use of the smiley-face rod method. The patient was a 19-year-old female judo player who had undergone direct repair surgery using the smiley-face rod method for terminal-stage lumbar spondylolysis. Postoperatively, she developed paresthesia on the lateral side of the right thigh with weakness of the right tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus. Computed tomography showed right foraminal stenosis at L5 with the floating lamina shifted ventrally and apophyseal ring fracture. In this case, the spondylolysis fracture angle differed between the left and right sides, with the fracture line on the right side running more sagittally. As a result, the floating lamina was shifted ventrally on the right side by compression and the right L5 intervertebral foraminal space was narrowed due to the ventral shift in the floating lamina and the apophyseal ring bone fragment. The shape of the fracture line should be examined carefully before surgery to avoid this technical pitfall. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 308-311, August, 2022.

Transforaminal Full-endoscopic Discectomy for Gas-containing Herniated Nucleus Pulposus at L5-S1 Under Local Anesthesia†:†A Case Report.

The vacuum phenomenon is often observed in degenerative disc disease, whereas gas-containing disc herniation is relatively rare. Full-endoscopic discectomy at the lumbar spine level via a transforaminal approach, which was established and subsequently refined over the last two decades, requires only an 8-mm skin incision and causes minimal damage to the paravertebral muscles. Foraminoplasty, performed with a high-speed drill, is a useful technique to enlarge the foramen, especially when applied at the L5-S1 level, where the trajectory is limited because of anatomical structures such as the iliac crest. Here, we report a case of gas-containing lumbar disc herniation at L5-S1 that was successfully treated by transforaminal full-endoscopic discectomy. The patient was a 62-year-old man with low back pain and pain in the plantar aspect of the right great toe. Magnetic resonance and computed tomography scans demonstrated gas-containing lumbar disc herniation at L5-S1 on the right. Following foraminoplasty, transforaminal full-endoscopic lumbar discectomy was successfully performed under local anesthesia. The patient's symptoms improved immediately after the surgery. Transforaminal full-endoscopic surgery can be effective and minimally invasive even when performed for gas-containing disc herniation. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 328-331, August, 2022.