Factors leading to open revision surgery after trans-sacral canal plasty for lumbar spine disease.

Trans-sacral canal plasty (TSCP) is a minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery under local anaesthesia. TSCP is expected to be effective regardless of whether the patient has had previous surgery. However, there are cases in which open revision surgery is required after TSCP. This study aimed to identify risk factors for open revision surgery after TSCP in order to determine surgical indications and limitations. A retrospective case-control study was conducted in patients who underwent TSCP for lumbar spine disease. Data of 112 patients were analysed. During an observation period of 7-23 months, 34 patients (30.4%) required open revision surgery and 78 (69.6%) did not. The following patient background characteristics were investigated: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), diagnosis, history of spine surgery and the institution where the surgery was performed. Comorbidities were scored using the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index. Preoperative imaging parameters were investigated, including the lesion level (L4/5, L5/S1, other), presence of intervertebral instability, dural sac area, presence of bony stenosis and presence of epidural lipoma. Multivariate analysis revealed that intervertebral instability (odds ratio 2.56, confidence interval 1.00-6.51, p = 0.046) and a narrow dural sac area (odds ratio 0.98, confidence interval 0.97-0.99, p = 0.002) were significant risk factors for open revision surgery after TSCP.

Postoperative Spinal Subdural Extra-arachnoid Hygroma Because of Trauma: Resolution with Lumbar Puncture: A Case Report.

CASE: A 73-year-old woman, after spinal surgery, presented with symptomatic spinal subdural extra-arachnoid hygroma (SSEH) because of a fall on the third postoperative day. The hygroma was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Lumbar puncture was performed under local anesthesia, after which the leg pain disappeared immediately. MRI obtained immediately after puncture and 1 week later confirmed disappearance of the hygroma. CONCLUSION: Although dural transection is mentioned in most of the reports on treatment of symptomatic postoperative SSEH, we were able to treat this entity by epidural puncture. In the absence of paraplegia or cystorectal disturbance, puncture can be an effective and minimally invasive treatment option.

Sciatica Caused by Perineural Spread of Prostate Cancer.

An 81-year-old man with a history of prostate cancer developed sciatica and underwent L4/5 laminectomy followed by L5/S1 transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Postoperatively, pain improved temporarily, then deteriorated. Tumor resection was performed after enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass distal to the left greater sciatic foramen. Histopathological examination showed the perineural spread of prostate cancer to the sciatic nerve. Developments in diagnostic imaging have revealed that prostate cancer can undergo perineural spread. Imaging studies are essential when sciatica is diagnosed in patients with a history of prostate cancer.

Clinical study of preoperative skeletal muscle mass as a predictor of physical performance recovery following palliative surgery for spinal metastases.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of spinal metastases has been associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with sarcopenia based on low skeletal muscle mass. We assessed physical performance using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scale and the Barthel Index on the 30th day after palliative surgery for spinal metastases and investigated the effectiveness of surgery according to sarcopenia assessed by skeletal muscle mass. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 78 consecutive patients with thoracic and lumbar spinal metastases who underwent palliative surgery. The value of the area of the psoas major muscle at the L3 level normalized by the vertebral area was divided into first, middle, and third tertiles. Clinical variables were compared by tertile. Variables affecting the 30-day good performance status were investigated with univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The 30-day morbidity rates were 50%, 38.5%, and 15.4% by tertile. The 30-day mortality rate was 2%; all were in the first tertile. Good preoperative performance status scores were seen in 15.4% of first and 50% of third tertile patients. Postoperatively, the performance status improved in all groups, with 30.8%, 65.4%, and 92.3% by tertile. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that a good preoperative performance status (OR: 15.50, 95% CI: 1.610-149.00, P < 0.05) and the value of the area of the psoas major muscle at the L3 level normalized by the vertebral area not in the first tertile (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.06-0.82, P < 0.05) were significant predictors of a good postoperative 30-day performance status. CONCLUSIONS: A good preoperative performance status and exclusion from the first tertile were clinical factors predicting a good postoperative 30-day performance status. In patients with large psoas muscle mass (third tertile), a good 30-day performance status can be expected after surgery, suggesting that surgery in this population should be pursued aggressively.

Tension Pneumocephalus Associated with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with Instillation and Dwell Time for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection After Spinal Deformity Surgery.

PURPOSE: Surgical site infection (SSI) is a serious complication after spine surgery. Recently, it has become possible to perform negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) for postoperative infected wounds. We report the first rare case of symptomatic pneumoencephalopathy following NPWTi-d for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection after spinal deformity surgery. METHODS: Retrospective review of a patient's medical record and imaging. RESULTS: A 77-year-old female patient underwent posterior corrective fixation with no intraoperative complications. On the 10th postoperative day, SSI was diagnosed, and debridement was performed. Since MRSA was detected in the wound culture, and a prolonged inflammatory reaction was observed, NPWTi-d was started to preserve the instrumentation. Gradually, good granulation was observed, and the extensive soft tissue defect decreased. On the 29th day after the start of NPWTi-d, the patient experienced sudden headache and neck pain while standing, and head computed tomography led to the diagnosis of symptomatic pneumoencephalopathy. NPWTi-d was discontinued, and when surgery was performed to close the wound, dural injury was found, which was not present at the time of the initial surgery, and dural repair was performed. After 2 weeks of bed rest, the patient's pneumoencephalopathy improved. Three years have passed since the surgery, and no recurrence of cerebrospinal fluid leakage or infection has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: Although NPWTi-d is a useful treatment for SSI, it is always necessary to pay attention to the development of pneumoencephalopathy and promptly diagnose and treat it because of the risk of life-threatening complications.

Retroperitoneal Hematoma Due to Drainage Tube Insertion in Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion: A Case Report.

CASE: A 73-year-old woman presented with degenerative kyphoscoliosis. Radiographs revealed sagittal and coronal imbalance with lumbar spinal stenosis. Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) was performed in the first stage of 2-stage surgery, and a closed-suction drainage tube was placed in the retroperitoneal cavity. Postoperatively, there was massive bleeding through the tube. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed lumbar artery injury, which required emergency arterial embolization. CONCLUSION: Placing a drainage tube in the retroperitoneal cavity during XLIF surgery can help detect complications such as intestinal and ureteral injuries, the lumbar artery within the lumbar muscle can be injured during drain placement.

Transsacral Canal Plasty for Decompression of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in a Patient With Epidural Lipomatosis: A Case Report.

CASE: A 58-year-old man presented with lumbar spinal stenosis due to epidural lipomatosis. He underwent transsacral canal plasty (TSCP), in a manner similar to epidural adhesiolysis, which can be performed under local anesthesia. His leg pain improved dramatically in the year after surgery. Furthermore, magnetic resonance images during this time show neural decompression by reduction of the amount of epidural fat. CONCLUSION: TSCP was found not only to relieve pain but also to achieve neural decompression in this patient with spinal canal stenosis caused by lumbar epidural lipomatosis. This is the first report to demonstrate the usefulness of TSCP for spinal epidural lipomatosis.