Efficacy of Liposomal Bupivacaine in Reducing Opioid Use After Posterior Lumbar Spinal Decompression and Fusion.

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in drug therapy and treatment of lumbar spinal disorders, dependence on opioid medication for postoperative pain control remains a concern nationwide. This study assessed the ability to diminish the reliance on opioid medication postoperatively with the Food and Drug Administration-approved local anesthetic liposomal bupivacaine in open posterior lumbar decompression and fusion procedures. In addition, the possible effects of this modality on other parameters were studied regarding patients and their recovery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 198 patients who underwent an open posterior lumbar laminectomy and fusion surgery with instrumentation treated by a single surgeon in a single institution was conducted. Ninety-nine patients who received liposomal bupivacaine administered intraoperatively were then matched by age, sex, and procedure with the same number of patients treated prior to the availability of liposomal bupivacaine. We evaluated how the use of liposomal bupivacaine affected the requirement for postoperative opioid medication, as well as related changes in length of stay, the use of antiemetics, and urinary retention postoperatively. RESULTS: The patients who received liposomal bupivacaine required less than half of the morphine milligram equivalents of narcotic medications during their hospital stay compared with patients who did not receive liposomal bupivacaine (approximately 57% reduction). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that the addition of liposomal bupivacaine to traditional pain management modalities can augment pain management for patients undergoing posterior lumbar surgery, as evidenced by the significant decrease in postoperative morphine milligram equivalents required. [Orthopedics. 2024;47(4):244-248.].

Evaluation of a novel pedicle probe for the placement of thoracic and lumbosacral pedicle screws.

BACKGROUND: Pedicle screw instrumentation is common in the lumbar spine and is gaining acceptance in the thoracic spine. The pedicle is generally cannulated with a gearshift probe or curette. SafePath (Mekanika, Boca Raton, FL) is an alternative pedicle probe designed for pedicle cannulation. This is a blunt-tipped, nonaggressive drill that seeks the cancellous portion of the pedicle. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of this device in comparison with techniques commonly used for pedicle cannulation. METHODS: Four osteoligamentous fresh-frozen thoracic to sacral cadaveric spines were studied. The pedicles of one side of each cadaver were cannulated with the SafePath device. The contralateral pedicles were cannulated with either a gearshift probe or a 3-0 cervical curette. The accuracy of pedicle probe placement was evaluated by radiography, computed tomography (CT) scan, and direct observation via dissection. RESULTS: By direct observation, 51 of 128 pedicles were violated (40%). There were not significant differences between the results obtained with the gearshift probe or curette; there were 2 of 22 lumbosacral violations (9%) and 14 of 45 thoracic violations (33%). With the SafePath device, there were 0 of 22 lumbosacral violations (0%) and 34 of 45 thoracic violations (76%). SafePath performed significantly better in the lumbar spine and significantly worse in the thoracic spine. The accuracy for determining pedicle violation was 88% for radiography and 85% for CT. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this in vitro study suggest that the SafePath device may represent an alternative to traditional pedicle cannulation techniques in the lumbosacral spine. However, the opposite is true in the thoracic spine, where SafePath performed significantly worse than traditional techniques.