Experimental model of multidirectional disc hernia in rats

Summary. We have carried out an experimental investigation of lesions of the intervertebral disc produced by flexion, lateral bending and rotational forces in an attempt to produce disc herniations. Adult Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: control and posterior, lateral and rotational herniation. There were 10 rats in each group. The tail between the 5th and 8th vertebral segments was used. A Kirschner wire was inserted into each of 2 adjacent vertebrae and the movement produced had an apex which was anterior or lateral depending on the group involved. Variables such as rupture of the annulus, the cellularity of the nucleus pulposus and the site of the lesion in the disc were studied histologically. The height of the disc, the protrusion, the thickness, and the surfaces of the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus were measured. In every case we found a nuclear displacement which did not become a protrusion. The surface parameters and the cellularity of the nucleus pulposus are most useful indicators and should be included in any study examining the disc after the injection of substances for treatment.

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Résumé. Nous avons fait un travail expérimental avec comme objectif l’étude des lésions produites dans le disque inter-vertébral par des forces de flexion, de latéralisation et de rotation en essayant de produire une hernie. Le rat Wistar a été l’animal d’expérimentation. Nous avons fait 4 groupes de 10 animaux chacuns (contr?le, hernie postérieure, hernie latérale, hernie rotatoire). L’étude a été réalisée dans la queue du rat entre les 5ème et 8ème vertèbres. Les lésions ont été réalisées par mobilisation de deux vertèbres consécutives à l’aide d’une broche de Kirschner fichée dans chacune d’elle et permettant de faire des mouvements de rotation ou d’angulation à sommet antérieur ou latéral. Histologiquement, ont étéétudiées des variables morphologiques comme la rupture de l’anneau, la cellularité et la situation du nucléus dans l’intérieur du disque et des variables morphométriques comme la hauteur du disque, l’épaisseur et la surface de l’anneau et du nucléus, en utilisant un programme informatique d’analyse d’images. Dans tous les cas ont été observés des déplacements du nucléus sans jamais arriver à l’extrusion, les paramètres de surface et la cellularité du nucléus sont d’une grande utilité et peuvent être utilisés comme base pour étude du disque après l’utilisation de substance pour le traitement de la hernie.

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Accepted: 2 May 1997     

显微减压术治疗椎间孔内腰椎间盘突出

目的 :总结显微减压术治疗椎间孔内腰椎间盘突出的临床应用结果。方法 :2005年9月至2013年5月,对16例椎间孔内腰椎间盘突出患者采用显微减压术治疗,其中男12例,女4例;年龄32~56岁,平均38.6岁;L3,41例,L4,510例,L_5S_15例。结果:16例均获随访,时间20~48个月,平均36个月。术后恢复率按Macnab腰腿痛手术治疗评定标准进行疗效评定,优12例,良好4例,未发生与该项技术操作相关的并发症。结论:显微减压术适宜治疗椎间孔内腰椎间盘突出,老年人更容易耐受。     

半椎板成形术治疗腰椎间盘突出症

目的：报告半椎板成形术治疗腰椎间盘突出症的临床功效。方法：(1)将棘突由后向前正中纵形劈开。患侧椎弓峡部由后向前凿开。(2)将患侧后部结构完整取下。(3)髓核摘除。(4)后部结构还纳复位应用胸骨线固定。结果：随访2．5～3．5年。优19例；良6例。结论：半椎板成形术治疗腰椎间盘突出症不影响腰椎的稳定性。是治疗腰椎间盘突出症的理想术式之一，为预防医源性椎管狭窄症具有积极作用。     

胸腰段椎间盘突出症诊断的临床研究

目的探讨胸腰段椎间盘突出症临床表现的特点与规律，提高胸腰段椎间盘突出症的诊断水平。方法回顾性分析1995年9月～2004年1月我院经X线、CT、MRI及手术证实的胸腰段椎间盘突出症65例的临床资料，并将其分为低位胸椎组（T10-T12L1）43例，高位腰椎组（L1-2-L2-3）16例，多节段突出组6例。结果躯体感觉障碍89．2％（58／65）和下肢无力83．1％（54／65）是最多见的症状。9．2％（6／65）表现为上运动神经元损害，47．7％（31／65）表现为下运动神经元损害，43．1％（28／65）表现为上、下运动神经元混合性损害。仅3例为单根神经根损害，其余表现为多根神经或马尾神经的损害。腰背痛44．6％（29／65）和下肢无力40．0％（26／65）是最常见的首发症状。低位胸椎间盘突出以混合性运动神经元损害为主，占58．1％（25／43），易导致行走障碍、足下垂、下肢肌张力升高和病理征阳性；而高位腰椎间盘突出则以下运动神经元损害为主，占93．8％（15／16），易造成腰背、下肢疼痛及马尾神经损害。结论胸腰段椎间盘突出症的症状广泛、体征多样，当临床上存在以下情况时应高度怀疑胸腰段椎间盘突出症：①大腿前方、外侧或腹股沟部位出现感觉障碍者；②下肢无力，股四头肌，胫前肌肌力减退者（如足下垂）；③下肢运动或感觉障碍范围广泛、不规则，缺乏根性分布特征者；④上、下运动神经元损害同时存在，或虽表现为下运动神经元损害，但难以用低位腰椎间盘突出症解释者。     

Intraradicular disc herniations in the lumbar spine and a new classification of intradural disc herniations

STUDY DESIGN: A case report of intraradicular disc herniation. Intraradicular disc herniation is a special type of intradural disc herniations. In this report, we present the tenth case of intraradicular lumbar disc herniation and suggest a new classification for intradural disc herniations. CASE REPORT: A 32-year-old male was admitted to hospital having experienced pain in the lower back and right leg for 1 month prior to admission. Neurological examination revealed weakness of the extensor hallucis longus, positive Laségue's sign, decreased ankle reflex in his right lower extremity, and bilateral paravertebral muscle spasm. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a disc herniation with a posterolateral extruded fragment on the right at the level of the L5-S1 space. He underwent L5 laminectomy. During the operation, the right S1 root was found to be swollen and immobile. A longitudinal incision was made in the dura of the right S1 root and an intradural free disc fragment was removed, and the S1 root was relieved. The patient was free of pain postoperatively. CONCLUSION: We suggest a new classification for intradural disc herniations with this unusual case presentation and review the literature for pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment.     

Intradiscal collagenase for treatment of lumbar disc herniations

In a series of 34 patients with herniated lumbar discs, treated by intradiscal injection of highly purified collagenase, the post-treatment course has been followed-up clinically and by repeated computed tomographies (CT). Good or excellent results have been achieved in 17 patients. An only slight improvement of pain was noted in 2 patients. Fifteen patients had to be operated on due to not improved or worsened clinical symptoms. The most striking result of our CT follow-up was a tendency of the disc herniation to increase initially after collagenase injection. About two thirds of the patients had such an increase at the one week after injection control. After 6 weeks this rate had decreased to only about one quarter, but in the meantime 13 patients had to be operated. Only after 6 months most hernias of the up till then not operated patients were smaller and none were larger than before treatment. There was also a transient density decrease of the treated disc, most pronounced one week after collagenase injection. At controls 6 months later density had reached again pre-treatment levels. It is likely that the volume increase tendency of the disc material after collagenase injection is responsible for a worsening of the clinical symptoms, which not seldomly occurs during the initial post-treatment period, and in some patients makes an operation necessary.     

Cervical epidural steroid injections for symptomatic disc herniations

OBJECTIVES: Cervical disc herniations are a common cause of radicular pain from nerve root impingement and may necessitate surgical decompression to alleviate symptoms. The use of cervical epidural injections has not been studied in detail. The objective of this retrospective study was to examine the efficacy of cervical epidural steroid injections for the treatment of symptomatic herniated cervical discs. METHODS: Patients with herniated cervical discs without myelopathy that had failed conservative management and were otherwise surgical candidates were offered a trial of cervical epidural injections. The results and benefits of the injections were examined as well as the incidence of proceeding to surgical intervention. RESULTS: Of the 70 treated patients, 44 (63%) had significant relief of their symptoms and did not wish to proceed with surgical treatment. Of the 26 patients who underwent surgical decompression, 92% had successful resolution of their symptoms. The nonsurgical and surgical groups were similar in terms of gender, preinjection symptoms, or number of injections. However, significant differences between the two groups were found with regard to age (P<0.05) and time from initial consultation to initial injection (P<0.05). With an average of 13-month follow-up, 45 (65.3%) patients reported a good/excellent result per Odom criteria. In addition, 53 (75%) would attempt cervical epidural steroid injections again in the future. No complications were noted in our series. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical epidural injections are a reasonable part of the nonoperative treatment of patients with symptomatic cervical disc herniations. The success rates appear to be very similar to prior studies of lumbar epidural injections for symptomatic lumbar disc herniations. It appears that a large percentage of the patients may obtain relief from radicular symptoms and avoid surgery for the follow-up period up to 1 year. In addition, patients older than 50 years and those who received the injections earlier, less than 100 days from diagnosis, seemed to have a more favorable outcome.     

Anterior spinal surgery for multiple thoracic disc herniations

A patient is presented with cord compression due to herniation of the T9-10 and T10-11 discs. Surgical decompression was successful via an anterior approach. Problems associated with the diagnosis and management of this rare condition are discussed.     

Multiple disc herniations in spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED) tarda is a group of inherited dysplasias in which the spine and the epiphyses of long bones are affected from late childhood. A 19-year-old male was diagnosed as SED tarda. He had a thoracic and then lumbar disc herniations which were separated by a 4-year interval. Surgical excision was performed for each disc herniation. This is the first case report of multiple disc herniations in SED.     

Experiences with lumbar disc herniations in adolescents

AIM: Lumbar disc herniation is rare in adolescents and often misread. The difference of etiology, symptoms and therapy in comparison to adults were investigated and the long-term outcome of conservative and surgically treatment evaluated. METHOD: We analysed informations obtained from the medical records of 51 patients younger than 20 years with 79 lumbar disc herniations. For the long-term follow-up we prepared a questionnaire composed of general questions about the patient's lifestyle, pain level and remaining symptoms. RESULTS: The average period from the beginning of the symptoms to the finding of the right diagnosis took about 14,3 months. We compared disc herniations in adolescents with the current literature of disc herniations in adults and found differences in etiology and symptoms. In 16 % of our patients the beginning of the pain was associated with a trauma, in 12 % the pain began during sports activity (microtrauma). In 49 % we found radiological signs of spinal aberrations. Low back pain and monoradicular sciatica were the main complaints, but findings of neurological deficits were rare. 27 patients were managed conservatively and 24 surgically. On the day of discharge 94 % of patients reported excellent or good results. The outcomes of the follow-up period were similar in both treatment groups. Almost all patients were able to attain a normal activity level and few reported restrictions of their daily life. The success rate of the pain frequency was 85 % and pain intensity was 81 %. CONCLUSION: The etiology of lumbal disc herniations in adolescents has a multifactoral basis. Conservative treatment should be pursued as a mainstay of treatment. Only if conservative treatment fails, surgical treatment should be considered.     

The delayed OP--indications for surgery of lumbar disc herniations

In Germany, lumbar disc herniations require surgical treatment in about 50,000 patients/year. The clinical and socio-economical results are determined by the preoperative duration of symptoms and preoperative time out of work (highly predictive). Other parameters such as severity of neurological deficits, morphology of disc herniation, age, associated diseases, type of surgery, working conditions or litigation processes are only weak predictors of outcome. Postoperative improvement of clinical symptoms as well as professional reintegration is strongly determined by the time period between onset of symptoms and surgery. Surgery performed "too early" diminishes the chance for improvement by conservative therapy. If surgery is performed "too late" the risk of a bad result is high, and the reintegration of the patient into his preoperative social and professional activities may be prevented. The duration of conservative therapy including so-called semi-invasive procedures is critical in this sense. If a therapeutic success (= professional and social reintegration) cannot be achieved by conservative measures and if there is a clear morphological correlate (= disc herniations with corresponding clinical symptoms) of the clinical symptoms an early change of the strategy towards surgical therapy is recommended.     

Spontaneous regression of cervical disc herniations.

The spontaneous regression of cervical disc herniations is a rare occurrence. Six herniated cervical discs that had regressed spontaneously are presented. All radiological disc regressions correlated well with clinical improvements. We want to underscore the potential for regression that should be considered in the evaluation and management of any patient with a herniated cervical disc.     

腰椎间盘突出组织重吸收研究进展

腰椎间盘突出症（LDH）除手术治疗外,还可经保守治疗使突出组织重吸收,从而使病情得到缓解或治愈.椎间盘突出组织重吸收是指：在没有化学溶核和外科干预情况下,突出组织自发减少甚至完全消失的现象.随着影像学和细胞、分子生物学技术的不断发展和进步,对此现象的临床报道及实验研究逐渐增多,本文将相关研究方法及研究进展作一综述.     

后路经皮内镜下颈椎间盘摘除术治疗外侧型颈椎间盘突出症

目的分析后路经皮内镜下颈椎间盘摘除术治疗外侧型颈椎间盘突出症的临床疗效。方法回顾性分析自2015-10—2018-01采用后路经皮内镜下颈椎间盘摘除术治疗的27例外侧型颈椎间盘突出症,比较术前与术后1、6、12个月疼痛VAS评分及NDI指数。结果 27例均顺利完成手术,随访时间24~41个月,平均29个月。手术时间67~210 min,平均80 min,住院时间2~10 d,平均3 d。1例术中出现硬脊膜撕裂,1例术后出现切口渗液,轻度红肿,发热,分泌物细菌培养阴性,对症处理后治愈。27例术后1 d上肢疼痛和颈部疼痛症状均有明显改善,25例术后1 d疼痛消失或者明显减轻,24例术后第1 d肌力得到明显改善。末次随访时5例手术节段椎间盘突出加重。27例术后1、6、12个月疼痛VAS评分与NDI评分较术前明显改善,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),但术后1、6、12个月间疼痛VAS评分与NDI评分比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论后路经皮内镜下颈椎间盘摘除术治疗外侧型颈椎间盘突出症安全有效,术后恢复快,值得临床推广。     

Long-term outcome of redo discectomy for recurrent lumbar disc herniations

Purpose

Recurrent lumbar disc herniation (RLDH) is an important cause of morbidity and healthcare costs. The goal of this investigation is to assess surgical outcomes and their predictors in patients who underwent revision discectomy for RLDH, with a minimum follow-up of ten years, to shed light on the best treatment to offer to these patients.

Methods

Patients who underwent revision discectomy to treat RLDH between 2004 and 2011 in our Department were enrolled. Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were collected. The need of third intervention for RLDH was the primary outcome. Patient’s satisfaction, Core Outcome Measures Index, Oswestry Disability Index, and EuroQoL-5D scores were also evaluated.

Results

This study includes 55 patients, with a mean follow-up time of 144 months [112–199]. In this period, a third intervention was needed in 30.9% (n = 17) of patients. Most recurrences took place in the first 2 years after the second surgery (58.8%, n = 10) and the risk of needing a third surgery decreased over time. After 5 years, the probability of not having surgery for recurrence was 71% [CI 95%: 60–84%], with a tendency to stabilize after that. An interval between the first discectomy and the surgery for recurrence shorter than 7.6 months was identified as a predictor for a second recurrence.

Conclusion

The risk of needing a third surgery seems to stabilize after five years. Patients with an early recurrence after the first discectomy seem to have a higher risk of a new recurrence, so an arthrodesis might be worth considering.

     

组织工程化同种异体椎间盘移植的动物实验研究

目的观察组织工程技术的运用能否延缓椎间盘移植后的退行性改变。方法将髓中受细胞复合至同种异体椎间盘,体外培养后植入犬L4／k椎间隙作为实验组（A组）,对照组（B组）行同种异体椎间髓移植。使用影像学、生物力学及组织学分析评估植入椎间盘的转归并行组间比较。结果移植椎间盘可与宿主椎体实现骨性融合。对照组椎间盘术后退变明显,12周时其椎间盘高度及髓核信号比灰度值明显低于实验组,稳定性丧失明显;组织学观察发现实验组移植椎间盘结构保持较好,髓核细胞数量较多,排列规则;对照组髓核形态保持欠佳,结构紊乱,髓核细胞数量减少,退行性改变明显。结论通过复合种子细胞实现异体椎间盘的组织工程化可有效延缓椎间盘移植后的退行性改变。     

极外侧型腰椎间盘突出症的临床研究

目的探讨极外侧型腰椎间盘突出症的临床表现、诊断、鉴别及治疗。方法通过CT或MRI将突出的腰椎间盘在椎管内所处的位置（矢状位、水平位、冠状位）予以定位,明确椎间盘突出部位。一旦确诊为极外侧型腰椎间盘突出症,即早期经横突间开放入路或后外侧椎间孔入路腰椎间盘镜监测下摘除突出的髓核。结果16例患者中15例行手术治疗,术后恢复取得了满意的疗效。结论CT或MRI为极外侧型腰椎间盘突出症的精确诊断提供了依据。早期诊断、早期手术是术后功能恢复的保证。     

Surgical outcomes of posterior thoracic interbody fusion for thoracic disc herniations

Introduction

Surgical strategy for thoracic disc herniation (TDH) remains controversial. We have performed posterior thoracic interbody fusion (PTIF) by bilateral total facetectomies with pedicle screw fixation. The objectives of this retrospective study are to demonstrate the surgical outcomes of PTIF for TDH.

Materials and methods

We enrolled 11 patients who underwent PTIF for myelopathy due to TDH and were followed for at least 1 year. The mean age at surgery was 55.2 years and the average period of follow-up was 4.3 years. The levels of operation were T10–T11 in three cases, T12–L1 in three, and T2–T3, T3–T4, T9–T10, T11–T12, and T10–T12 in one case, respectively. The pre- and postoperative clinical status was evaluated according to the modified Frankel grade and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score modified for thoracic myelopathy. Additionally, postoperative complications were assessed. Local kyphosis at the operated segment and status of fusion were evaluated using plain radiographs and computed tomography.

Results

Improvement of at least one modified Frankel grade was observed in all but one patient. Average pre- and postoperative JOA scores were 4.9 and 8.8 points, respectively. The average recovery rate was 61 %. Bony union was observed in ten cases. One patient’s postsurgical outcome resulted in pseudoarthrosis, which required revision surgery due to kyphosis deterioration. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage was observed in one patient postoperatively with neither neurological deficit nor evidence of infection.

Conclusion

PTIF has produced satisfactory outcomes for myelopathy due to TDH. Therefore, PTIF is one of the surgical treatments of choice for patients with TDH causing myelopathy.