Primary and revision lumbar discectomy: A three-year review from one center

Background:

Despite variations in technique, the results of primary and revision lumbar discectomy have been good. The aim of this study was to retrospectively review cases of primary and revision lumbar discectomy performed in our institute over a three-year period.

Materials and Methods:

The case records of 273 patients who underwent lumbar discectomy between January 2001-2004 and fulfilled our inclusion and exclusion criteria were reviewed. Of these, 259 were primary discectomies and 14 were revision surgeries. Recurrence was defined as ipsilateral disc herniation at the previously operated level. Demographic parameters, magnetic resonance imaging of the disc, patient satisfaction and rate of recurrence were analyzed.

Results:

The primary surgery group had 52 (20.08%) contained and 207 (79.92%) extruded or sequestered discs, while the numbers in the revision group were three (21.43%) and 11 (78.57%) respectively. “Satisfactory” outcome was noted in 96.5% of the primary surgeries, with a recurrence rate of 3.5%. In the revision group 78.6% had “satisfactory” outcome. In 9.4% of the primary group we encountered complications, while it was 21.43% in the revision group.

Conclusions:

Lumbar discectomy is a safe, simple and effective procedure with satisfactory outcome in 96.5% of primary disc surgery and 78.6% of revision disc surgery.     

腰椎间盘突出症再手术原因分析

目的：分析腰椎间盘突出症再手术原因并探讨其治疗方法和疗效。方法：回顾性分析1998年1月至2006年1月手术治疗的腰椎间盘突出症175例,其中17例复发性腰椎间盘突出症需再手术治疗,17例中,男11例,女6例;年龄35-65岁,平均49岁。经原椎板间扩大开窗法切除椎间盘11例,全椎板切除减压椎间盘切除5例（同时行内固定＋后外侧植骨融合）,单侧椎板切除1例。术后对患者的疼痛、运动功能、神经根受压表现进行观察,并根据Macnab标准对疗效进行评定。结果：17例均获随访,时间15-96个月,平均51个月。所有患者的疼痛、运动功能及神经根受压表现均有不同程度改善。按Macnab评定标准：优9例,良6例,可2例。结论：腰椎间盘突出症再次手术的主要原因为同一间隙闻盘组织再突出、继发性椎管狭窄、邻近椎间盘突出等。虽然腰椎间盘突出症再手术难度大于初次手术,但只要严格掌握手术指征,术前周密计划,仍可取得满意疗效。     

Reoperation after lumbar disc surgery in two hundred and seven patients

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare the causes and characteristics of reoperations after different primary operations for lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods

Out of a series of 5,280 patients who underwent operations for LDH between 2001 and 2012, 207 patients (135 male and 72 female, mean age 47.7 years) underwent primary and revision operations, which were included in this study. The following clinical parameters were retrospectively assessed: the primary surgical methods, the intervals between primary and revision operations, and surgical findings in the revisions.

Results

In total, 232 lumbar discs underwent reoperations. One hundred and nineteen reoperations were performed after microendoscopic discectomy (MED group), 68 after percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD group) and 45 after open disc surgery (open group). The locations of revision operations had priority over those of primary surgery, with a moderate correlation (kappa coefficient = 0.533). A total of 46.6 % of reoperations were performed within 0.5 years after primary surgery, and 35.3 % were performed between one and five years. Real recurrent herniation (homolateral herniations at the same level) was significantly more common than other reoperative surgical findings (70.6 % in PELD group, 47.1 % in MED group, 37.8 % in open group). The overall mean interval until revision surgery was 18.9 months (8.1 months in the PELD group vs. 19.7 months in the MED group vs. 33.1 months in the open group, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

For LDH, real recurrent herniation was the most common cause of reoperations, and more reoperations for real recurrent herniations and shorter intervals were found after minimally invasive endoscopic discectomy than after open disc surgery.     

Transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy for upper lumbar disc herniation: clinical outcome, prognostic factors, and technical consideration

Background

Compared with lower lumbar disc herniations, upper lumbar disc herniations at L1–L2 and L2–L3 have specific characteristics that result in different surgical outcomes after conventional open discectomy. There are no published studies on the feasibility of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy for upper lumbar disc herniation. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical outcome, prognostic factors and the technical pitfalls of PELD for upper lumbar disc herniation.

Method

Forty-five patients with a soft disc herniation at L1–L2 or L2–L3 underwent percutaneous endoscopic discectomy. Posterolateral transforaminal endoscopic laser-assisted disc removal was performed under local anesthesia. Clinical outcomes was assessed using the Prolo scale. The prognostic factors associated with outcome were then analyzed.

Findings

The mean follow-up was 38.8 months (range, 25–52 months). The outcome of the 45 patients was excellent in 21 (46.7%), good in 14 patients (31.1%), fair in six patients (13.3%), and poor in four patients (8.9%). Four patients with a poor outcome underwent further open surgery. Mean scores on a visual analog scale decreased from 8.38 to 2.36 (P?<?0.0001). Age less than 45 years and a lateral disc herniation were independently associated with an excellent outcome (P?<?0.05).

Conclusions

Patient selection and an anatomically modified surgical technique promote a more successful outcome after percutaneous endoscopic discectomy for upper lumbar disc herniation.     

Microendoscopic discectomy versus open discectomy for lumbar disc herniation: a meta-analysis

Purpose

To compare the outcomes of microendoscopic discectomy and open discectomy for patients with lumbar disc herniation.

Methods

An extensive search of studies was performed in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane library and Google Scholar. The following outcome measures were extracted: visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), complication, operation time, blood loss and length of hospital stay. Data analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.0.

Results

Five randomized controlled trials involving 501 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the VAS, ODI or complication between the two groups. However, compared with the open discectomy, the microendoscopic discectomy was associated with less blood loss [WMD = ?151.01 (?288.22, ?13.80), P = 0.03], shorter length of hospital stay [WMD = ?69.33 (?110.39, ?28.28), P = 0.0009], and longer operation time [WMD = 18.80 (7.83, 29.76), P = 0.0008].

Conclusions

Microendoscopic discectomy, which requires a demanding learning curve, may be a safe and effective alternative to conventional open discectomy for patients with lumbar disc herniation.

     

Recurrence of sciatica following hemilaminectomy for disc herniation

This retrospective study investigated the causes of ipsilateral sciatica following formal hemilaminectomy and discectomy for disc herniation and analyzed the factors that influence the outcome of revision surgery for recurrence. From a series of 1,016 patients who were operated upon for primary lumbar disc herniation, 64 patients were revised because of persistent or recurrent sciatica and back pain. Successful outcome was achieved in 81% of the patients with pain recurrence within 6 months following unilateral disc herniation at another level, residual disc herniation, recurrence of disc herniation, pseudomeningocele, and epidural hematoma. In contrast, not successful results were noted in the other 19% of reoperated patients later than 6 moths following primary operation for epidural fibrosis, lateral spinal stenosis, or combined. In this series, the outcome following revision surgery was not related to any specific clinical symptoms and physical examination findings, but mainly to the operative findings during revision surgery and the time lapsed between primary and revision surgery. Computed tomography (CT) was less reliable than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting pathology prior to revision surgery, particularly in distinguishing between disc prolapse and fibrosis. Operative findings and pain-free interval between primary discectomy and revision surgery determined the outcome of revision surgery for recurrent ipsilateral sciatica, while MRI seems to be the imaging method of choice. Revision surgery for ipsilateral radicular pain following discectomy in this series showed satisfactory results that were comparable with those of primary discectomy.     

腰椎关节突关节不对称与腰椎间盘突出症术后复发的关联

目的探讨腰椎关节突关节不对称与腰椎间盘突出症术后复发是否有关联。方法收集25例腰椎间盘突出症术后复发患者,选出22例符合纳入标准作为复发组。选取24例行腰椎间盘髓核摘除术术后随访结果优良的患者作为对照组。分别由两名医师单独测量每组患者突出节段的关节突关节角度,双侧关节突关节角度差异〉10°的判断为不对称。行Kappa一致性分析评价两测量者对关节突不对称的判断差异,两组关节突关节不对称的病例数行χ2检验。并对复发组中关节突关节面方向与椎间盘突出方向关系进行分析。结果两测量者对关节突关节对称与否判断结果的一致性极佳;复发组关节突关节不对称病例数明显多于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;关节突关节面方向与椎间盘术后再突出方向无关联（P〉0.05）。结论腰椎关节突关节不对称有可能是腰椎间盘突出术后复发的危险因素。     

Recurrent lumbar disc herniation: results of operative management

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective evaluation of 28 patients with recurrent lumbar disc herniation. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the outcome of the revisions (repeat discectomy), the risk factors of recurrent disc herniation, and the factors that influenced the outcomes of repeat discectomy. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Recurrent herniation following disc excision has been reported in 5-11% of patients. There have been many studies on recurrent disc herniation, but these studies have analyzed mixed patient populations. METHODS: Recurrent lumbar disc herniation was defined as disc herniation at the same level, regardless of ipsilateral or contralateral herniation, with a pain-free interval greater than 6 months. Eight women and 20 men were studied. The levels of disc herniation were L4-L5 (19 cases) and L5-S1 (9 cases). Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was performed in all patients. Revision surgery was performed in all patients by using conventional open discectomy. The pain-free interval, side and degree of herniation, operation time, duration of hospital stay, and clinical improvement rate were recorded. RESULTS: The mean pain-free interval was 60.8 months. There were 21 cases of ipsilateral herniation and 7 cases of contralateral herniation. The degrees of herniation in revision were protrusion (14 cases), subligamentous extrusion (3 cases), transligamentous extrusion (8 cases), and sequestration (3 cases). The degrees of herniation in the previous discectomy were protrusion (17 cases), subligamentous extrusion (10 cases), and transligamentous extrusion (1 case). The length of surgery was significantly different (P = 0.003) between the revision surgery and the previous discectomy. There were no significant differences between revision and previous surgery in terms of hospital stay or clinical improvement rates. Age, gender, smoking, professions, traumatic events, level and degree of herniation, and pain-free interval did not affect the clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Conventional open discectomy as a revision surgery for recurrent lumbar disc herniation showed satisfactory results that were comparable with those of primary discectomy. Based on the results of this study, repeat discectomy can be recommended for the management of recurrent lumbar disc herniation.     

Radiological and clinical long-term results of heterotopic ossification following lumbar total disc replacement

Background

The long-term results of heterotopic ossification (HO) following lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) and the corresponding clinical and radiological outcomes are unclear.

Surgical technique and effectiveness of microendoscopic discectomy for large uncontained lumbar disc herniations: a prospective,randomized, controlled study with 8 years of follow-up

Background

There is a long-held concept among spine surgeons that endoscopic lumbar discectomy procedures are reserved for small-contained disc herniation; 8-year follow-up has not been reported. The purpose of this study is to assess microendoscopic discectomy (MED) in patients with large uncontained lumbar disc herniation (the antero-posterior diameter of the extruded fragment is 6–12 mm or more on axial cuts of MRI) and report long-term outcome.

Methods

One hundred eighty-five patients with MED or standard open discectomy underwent follow-up for 8 years. Primary (clinical) outcomes data included Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for back and leg symptoms and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to quantify pain and disability, respectively. Secondary (objective) outcomes data included operative time, blood loss, postoperative analgesics, length of hospital stay, time to return to work, reoperation and complication rate, patient satisfaction index (PSI), and modified (MacNab) criteria.

Results

At the end of the follow-up, the leg pain relief was statistically significant for both groups. NRS back pain, ODI, PSI and MacNab criteria showed significant deterioration for control group. Secondary outcomes data of MED group were significantly better than the control group.

Conclusions

Large, uncontained, lumbar disc herniations can be sufficiently removed using MED which is an effective alternative to open discectomy procedures with remarkable long-term outcome. Although the neurological outcome of the two procedures is the same, the morbidity of MED is significantly less than open discectomy. Maximum benefit can be gained if we adhere to strict selection criteria. The optimum indication is single- or multi-level radiculopathy secondary to a single-level, large, uncontained, lumbar disc herniation.     

Surgical treatment of thoracic disc herniations using a modified transfacet approach

Background:

Ideal surgical treatment for thoracic disc herniation (TDH) is controversial due to variations in patient presentation, pathology, and possible surgical approach. Althougth discectomy may lead to improvements in neurologic function, it can be complicated by approach related morbidity. Various posterior surgical approaches have been developed to treate TDH, but the gold standard remains transthoracic decompression. Certain patients have comorbidities and herniation that are not optimally treated with an anterior approach. A transfacet pedicle approach was first described in 1995, but outcomes and complications have not been well described. The aim of this work was to evaluate the clinical effect and complications in a consecutive series of patients with symptomatic thoracic disc herniations undergoing thoracic discectomy using a modified transfacet approach.

Materials and Methods:

33 patients with thoracic disc herniation were included in this study. Duration of the disease was from 12 days to 36 months, with less than 1 month in 13 patients. Of these, 15 patients were diagnosed with simple thoracic disc herniation, 6 were associated with ossified posterior longitudinal ligament, and 12 with ossified or hypertrophied yellow ligament. A total of 45 discs were involved. All the herniated discs and the ossified posterior longitudinal ligaments were excised using a modified transfacet approach. Laminectomy and replantation were performed for patients with ossified or hypertrophied yellow ligament. The screw–rod system was used on both sides in 14 patients and on one side in l9 patients.

Results:

29 patients were followed up for an average of 37 months (range 12-63 months) and 4 patients were lost to followup. Evaluation was based on Epstein and Schwall criteria.5 15 were classified as excellent and 10 as good, accounting for 86.21% (25/29); 2 patients were classified as improved and 2 as poor. All the patients recovered neurologically after surgery. A total of 25 patients had significantly improved motor function from 3 to 6 months after surgery and 10 patients had slow recovery 6 months after surgery.. Of the three patients with postoperative complications, two had exacerbated preexisting defects and one had implant failure. Postoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging showed that all patients had well fused replanted lamina and completely decompressed canal.

Conclusion:

Thoracic discectomy using a modified transfacet approach can significantly improve the clinical outcomes.     

Mid- to long-term results of total disc replacement for lumbar degenerative disc disease: a systematic review

Background

Lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) has shown satisfactory clinical outcomes with few complications and reoperations at short-term follow-up, but the mid- to long-term results are not clear.

Purpose

The objective of this study was to evaluate the mid- to long-term clinical outcomes of artificial TDR for lumbar degenerative disc diseases.

Patients and methods

A systematic search was conducted using the PubMed database to identify studies of TDR surgery that included at least 3?years of follow-up. The search keywords were as follows: lumbar, total disc replacement, and arthroplasty. The following data were extracted: patient demographics, visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, satisfactory rate, clinical success rate, complications, and reoperations.

Results

Thirteen studies, including eight prospective studies and five retrospective studies, met the criteria. A total of 946 patients were identified who reported at least 3?years of follow-up results. The artificial prostheses in these studies were ProDisc-L, Charité, AcroFlex, Maverick, and XL TDR. Patients with lumbar TDR demonstrated significant improvements in VAS scores of 51.1 to 70.5% and of ??15.6 to ??44.4 for Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores at the last follow-up. Patient satisfaction rates were reported in eight studies and ranged from 75.5 to 93.3%. Complication rates were reported in 11 studies, ranging from 0 to 34.4%. The overall reoperation rate was 12.1% (119/986), ranging from 0 to 39.3%, with eight of the 13 studies reporting a reoperation rate of less than 10%.

Conclusions

This review shows that lumbar TDR effectively results in pain relief and an improvement in quality of life at mid- to long-term follow-up. Complication and reoperation rates were acceptable. However, this study did not provide sufficient evidence to show that lumbar TDR is superior to fusion surgery. To answer that question, a greater number of high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed.

     

Transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of far-lateral lumbar disc herniations in children

Purpose

The use of transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy for the treatment of far-lateral lumbar disc herniations has been applied mostly in adults. However, transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy in children has probably been rarely documented. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of far-lateral lumbar disc herniations in children.

Methods

Overall, 12 cases of far-lateral lumbar disc herniations were treated with the procedure of transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy between January 2010 and December 2014. There were seven male and five female children included, with an average age of 12.6 years (11–16 years). Pre-operative and post-operative (6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months) clinical outcome data (back and leg visual analog scale [VAS] and Macnab criteria) were collected along with clinical assessments of motor strength (graded 0–5).

Results

All patients were discharged to home on the same day of surgery. The average leg VAS score improved from 8.6?±?1.6 to 2.1?±?0.4 (p?<?0.005). Six patients had excellent outcomes, five had good outcomes, one had fair outcomes, and none had poor outcomes, according to the Macnab criteria. Eleven of 12 patients had excellent or good outcomes, for an overall success rate of 91.6 %. No patients required re-operation. There were no incidental durotomies, infections, vascular or visceral injuries. There was one complication, a case of leg numbness caused by ganglion injury. The numbness improved after two weeks. After three months, it was obvious that the total area of numbness in the legs had become smaller. At last follow-up, the patient had no pain, and only a few areas with numbness remained and did not affect the patient’s activities of daily living.

Conclusions

Transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic discectomy achieved satisfactory results for children with far-lateral lumbar disc herniations.

     

Differences in the surgical treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation among spine surgeons in the United States

Background context

There are often multiple surgical treatment options for a spinal pathology. In addition, there is a lack of data that define differences in surgical treatment among surgeons in the United States.

Purpose

To assess the surgical treatment patterns among neurologic and orthopedic spine surgeons in the United States for the treatment of one- and two-time recurrent lumbar disc herniation.

Study design

Electronic survey.

Patient sample

An electronic survey was delivered to 2,560 orthopedic and neurologic surgeons in the United States.

Outcome measures

The response data were analyzed to assess the differences among respondents over various demographic variables. The probability of disagreement is reported for various surgeon subgroups.

Methods

A survey of clinical and radiographic case scenarios that included a one- and two-time lumbar disc herniation was electronically delivered to 2,560 orthopedic and neurologic surgeons in the United States. The surgical treatment options were revision microdiscectomy, revision microdiscectomy with in situ fusion, revision microdiscectomy with posterolateral fusion using pedicle screws, revision microdiscectomy with posterior lumbar interbody fusion/transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF/TLIF), anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) with percutaneous screws, ALIF with open posterior instrumentation, or none of these. Significance of p=.01 was used to account for multiple comparisons.

Results

Four hundred forty-five surgeons (18%) completed the survey. Surgeons in practice for 15+ years were more likely to select revision microdiscectomy compared with surgeons with fewer years in practice who were more likely to select revision microdiscectomy with PLIF/TLIF (p<.001). Similarly, those surgeons performing 200+ surgeries per year were more likely to select revision microdiscectomy with PLIF/TLIF than those performing fewer surgeries (p=.003). No significant differences were identified for region, specialty, fellowship training, or practice type. Overall, there was a 69% and 22% probability that two randomly selected spine surgeons would disagree on the surgical treatment of two- and one-time recurrent disc herniations, respectively. This probability of disagreement was consistent over multiple variables including geographic, practice type, fellowship training, and annual case volume.

Conclusions

Significant differences exist among US spine surgeons in the surgical treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniations. It will become increasingly important to understand the underlying reasons for these differences and to define the most cost-effective surgical strategies for these common lumbar pathologies as the United States moves closer to a value-based health-care system.     

Minimally invasive surgery for lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Assessing the benefits of surgical treatments for sciatica is critical for clinical and policy decision-making. To compare minimally invasive (MI) and conventional microdiscectomy (MD) for patients with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials including patients with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation. Conventional microdiscectomy was compared separately with: (1) Interlaminar MI discectomy (ILMI vs. MD); (2) Transforaminal MI discectomy (TFMI vs. MD). Outcomes: Back pain, leg pain, function, improvement, work status, operative time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, complications, reoperations, analgesics and cost outcomes were extracted and risk of bias assessed. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using random effect meta-analysis.

Results

Twenty-nine studies, 16 RCTs and 13 non-randomised studies (n = 4,472), were included. Clinical outcomes were not different between the surgery types. There is low quality evidence that ILMI takes 11 min longer, results in 52 ml less blood loss and reduces mean length of hospital stay by 1.5 days. There were no differences in complications or reoperations. The main limitations were high risk of bias, low number of studies and small sample sizes comparing TF with MD.

Conclusions

There is moderate to low quality evidence of no differences in clinical outcomes between MI surgery and conventional microdiscectomy for patients with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation. Studies comparing transforaminal MI with conventional surgery with sufficient sample size and methodological robustness are lacking.     

腰椎间盘突出症再手术原因分析和手术方式探讨

目的:探讨腰椎间盘突出症再手术的原因及手术方式。方法:对39例腰椎间盘突出症术后症状无改善或缓解一段时间后复发需再手术的患者进行分析和总结。再手术方式:椎板间开窗或经原椎板间扩大开窗、椎间盘切除8例;半椎板切除减压、椎间盘切除3例;全椎板切除减压、椎间盘切除27例(其中23例行后路椎弓根内固定加横突间植骨融合,2例同时行椎间cage置入融合);经左前外侧入路腹膜外椎间盘切除、椎间植骨融合1例。结果:再手术原因包括复发性腰椎间盘突出20例、相邻节段腰椎间盘突出7例、腰椎节段性不稳定8例和腰椎间盘未彻底去除4例,其中合并继发性腰椎管狭窄8例,硬膜外瘢痕形成4例。术中发生脑脊液漏4例,均行硬膜修补,术后恢复良好。随访1年6个月～5年7个月,其中31例患者症状明显改善,7例症状部分改善,1例无改善,优良率为79.5%。再手术前JOA评分平均11.8分,再手术后末次随访时平均25.6分,有显著性差异(P<0.05),恢复率为80.2%。23例行椎弓根内固定加横突间植骨融合患者末次随访时植骨融合率为70%,1例行椎间植骨融合患者末次随访时植骨融合。结论:腰椎间盘突出症再手术的主要原因为复发性腰椎间盘突出、相邻节段腰椎间盘突出、腰椎节段性不稳定和腰椎间盘未彻底去除等,正确分析再手术原因并选择合理的手术方式,仍可以取得较为满意的疗效。     

Long-term clinical results following Charite III lumbar total disc replacement

Background Context

Lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) operation represents an alternative to lumbar fusion for the treatment of symptomatic lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and has gained increasing attention in recent years.

The distribution of infection with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Propionibacterium acnes</Emphasis> is equal in patients with cervical and lumbar disc herniation

Background

Cervical and back pains are important clinical problems affecting human populations globally. It is suggested that Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is associated with disc herniation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution of P. acnes infection in the cervical and lumbar disc material obtained from patients with disc herniation.

Methods and material

A total of 145 patients with mean age of 45.21 ± 11.24 years who underwent micro-discectomy in cervical and lumbar regions were enrolled into the study. The samples were excited during the operation and then cultured in the anaerobic incubations. The cultured P. acnes were detected by 16S rRNA-based polymerase chain reaction.

Results

In this study, 145 patients including 25 cases with cervical and 120 cases with lumbar disc herniation were enrolled to the study. There was no significant difference in the age of male and female patients (p = 0.123). P. acnes infection was detected in nine patients (36%) with cervical disc herniation and 46 patients (38.3%) with lumbar disc herniation and no significant differences were reported in P. acnes presence according to the disc regions (p = 0.508.). Moreover, there was a significant difference in the presence of P. acnes infection according to the level of lumbar disc herniation (p = 0.028).

Conclusion

According to the results, the presence of P. acnes is equal in patients with cervical and lumbar disc herniation. There was a significant difference in the distribution of P. acnes infection according to level of lumbar disc herniation.

Level of Evidence

II

     

Risk factors for the need of surgical treatment of a first recurrent lumbar disc herniation

Purpose

A recurrent lumbar disc herniation (RLDH) is the most prevalent cause for new radicular pain after surgery for disc herniation-induced sciatica. Reported risk factors include age, gender and smoking, while its surgical treatment is associated to a higher rate of complications and costs. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that increase the risk of requiring surgical treatment for a first RLDH in workers’ compensation patients.

Methods

Nested case–control: 109 patients operated for an RLDH (cases) between June 1st 1994 and May 31st 2011 (minimum follow-up 1 year) and 109 randomly selected patients operated for a first disc herniation with no recurrence during the study period (controls). Age, gender, smoking status, type of work and MRI characteristics of the index herniation were statistically evaluated as potential risk factors.

Results

Patient’s age of less than 35 years (p = 0.001) and a subligamentous herniation (p < 0.05) at the time of the index surgery were identified as risk factors for requiring surgical treatment of a first RLDH. No statistical differences were observed between both groups regarding the other evaluated variables.

Conclusion

A subligamentous disc herniation and patient’s age inferior to 35 years at the time of the first surgery are risk factors for requiring surgical treatment of a first RLDH among workers’ compensation patients.

     

Modic changes in the adjacent vertebrae due to disc material infection with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Propionibacterium acnes</Emphasis> in patients with lumbar disc herniation

Introduction

Modic changes (MCs) in vertebral bones are induced by two mechanisms of mechanical factors and infection. As Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) have been reported to be associated with LBP. The aim of this study is to evaluate the MCs in patients with disc herniation and positive for P. acnes.

Methods and material

A total of 120 patients with disc herniation surgery were enrolled into the study. The samples were excised during discectomy and then cultured in both anaerobic and aerobic incubations. Gram staining was employed for investigation of all colonies. The cultured P. acnes were detected by 16S rRNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MCs of baseline MRI were evaluated.

Results

In this study, 120 subjects (69 male and 51 female) with mean age of 43.15 ± 12.62 years were investigated. Sixty disc samples and eight muscle samples were positive for microorganisms. Moreover, 16S rDNA gene was identified in 46 (38.3%) disc samples. Moreover, 36/46 patients with P. acnes in their sample had MCs.

Conclusion

According to the results and presence of 36/46 MCs in patients with lumbar disc herniation, positive for P. acnes suggests that P. acnes can lead to edema on the vertebrae endplates near to infected area.