3D显微镜辅助下经前路治疗合并骨性颈椎间孔狭窄的神经根型颈椎病的疗效观察

目的 探讨3D显微镜辅助下经颈椎前路减压融合术（anterior cervical discectomy and fusion,ACDF）治疗合并骨性颈椎间孔狭窄的神经根型颈椎病的疗效及安全性。方法 回顾性分析我院2019年1月至2020年12月的36例接受3D显微镜辅助下ACDF手术治疗合并骨性颈椎间孔狭窄的神经根型颈椎病病人的临床资料。观察病人术中出血量、术后引流量以及手术并发症发生情况。比较病人术前及末次随访时的颈痛、上肢痛视觉模拟量表（VAS）评分和颈椎功能障碍指数（NDI）。结果 所有病人均成功实施手术,未发生血管、神经损伤等严重并发症。术中出血量为（56.4±22.3）m L,术后引流量为（6.7±4.6）m L。末次随访时颈痛VAS评分、上肢痛VAS评分及NDI指数别为（1.1±0.8）分、（1.4±0.9）分和15.6%±4.6%,较术前的（4.8±1.1）分、（6.3±0.9）分和49.3%±6.7%明显降低,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 3D显微镜辅助下经前路治疗合并骨性颈椎间孔狭窄的神经根型颈椎病疗效确切,是一种高效、安全、可视化的手术技术,值得临...     

Comparison of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion in the Treatment of 4‐Level Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

ObjectiveTo assess and compare the therapeutic effects of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) and Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion (CLF) in the treatment of 4‐level cervical.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review on 39 patients with 4‐level CSM who underwent ACDF or CLF in the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2010 to December 2018. The patients were divided into ACDF group and CLF group according to the treatment. The operative index was evaluated based on intraoperative blood loss and operation time. The functional outcomes including Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and visual analogue scale (VAS) of axial pain were compared. The Cobb angle, Cobb angle improvement rate, range of motion (ROM) and ROM loss ratio were measured for radiographic evaluation.ResultsNo major complications or deaths occurred. The average age at baseline was 55 years. There was no significant difference between the ACDF and CLF group in follow‐up time (26.29 months, 25.39 months, P > 0.05). The intraoperative blood loss was higher in the CLF group than in the ACDF group (692.67 ± 38.68 vs 392.14 ± 128.06, P < 0.05). The operation time was longer in the CLF group than in the ACDF group (206.60 ± 49.37 vs 172.64 ± 31.96, P < 0.05). Significant improvements in the VAS and JOA scores were observed in both groups (P < 0.05). No significant difference in VAS was found between the ACDF and CLF groups (P < 0.05). There was a significantly larger improvement rate of JOA score in the ACDF group than in the CLF group (60.9% ± 9.57% vs 31.5% ± 15.70%, P < 0.05). There were two (9.6%) cases with complications In the ACDF group, including one (4.8%) case of dysphagia and one (4.8%) case of pharyngodynia. In the CLF group, two patients (11.1%) developed C₅ palsy. No significant difference in the incidence of complications, ROM loss ratio and Cobb angle improvement rate was found between group ACDF and group CLF (all P < 0.05).ConclusionBoth ACDF and CLF were effective in the treatment of multi‐level cervical spondylosis and ACDF is more suitable for patients with 4‐level CSM.     

Mid‐ and Long‐Term Follow‐Up Efficacy Analysis of 3D‐Printed Interbody Fusion Cages for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and stability of 3D‐printed interbody fusion cages (3D‐printed cages) in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) by investigating the mid‐ and long‐term follow‐up outcomes.MethodsIn this prospective study, the clinical data of 30 patients with CSM admitted to the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from May 2012 to May 2014 were analyzed. The cohort comprised 18 males and 12 females with an average age of 60.22 ± 3.2 years. All patients were examined by X‐ray, CT and MRI before the operation. A total of 30 cases of CSM were treated by ACDF with 3D printed cage implantation. Mid‐ and long‐term follow‐ups were performed after the surgery. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by comparing the JOA score, SF‐36 score, change in neurological function, cervical curvature index (CCI), vertebral intervertebral height (VIH) and fusion rate before the operation, 6 months after the operation, and at the last follow‐up.ResultsTwo of the 30 patients were lost to follow‐up. The remaining patients were followed up for 48–76 (65.23 ± 3.54) months. The patients recovered satisfactorily with a significant clinical effect. The JOA score increased meanfully and the improvement rate was 89.4% at the final follow‐up. The SF‐36 score increased significantly from pre‐ to postoperatively. The height of the intervertebral space at the last follow‐up was not statistically significantly different from that at 6 months after surgery (P > 0.05), showing that the height of the intervertebral space did not change much and the severity of cage subsidence (CS) decreased. The CCI improved from pre‐ to postoperatively. The CCI did not change much from the 6‐month follow‐up to the last follow‐up. and the cage rate (CR) was 100% at the 6‐month and last follow‐ups. No severe complications, such as spinal cord injury, esophageal fistula, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, cervical hematoma or wound infection, occurred in any of the patients.ConclusionThe clinical and radiological results show that the application of 3D‐printed cages in ACDF can significantly relieve symptoms. Moreover, 3D‐printed cages can restore the curvature of the cervical spine, effectively maintain the intervertebral height for a long time, and prevent complications related to postoperative subsidence.     

Preoperative Cervical Cobb Angle Is a Risk Factor for Postoperative Axial Neck Pain after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Zero‐Profile Interbody

ObjectivesAnterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with zero‐profile interbody has a lower incidence of complications in treating cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). However, postoperative axial neck pain is still commonly occurred, and the factors affecting which is not known. Here, we retrospectively analyze the risk factors for postoperative axial pain after performing ACDF with zero‐profile implant in single‐level CSM.MethodsPatients who suffered from single‐level CSM and who received ACDF with zero‐profile implant between 2018 January to 2020 December were reviewed. Of 180 single‐level CSM patients, 144 patients who passed the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups according to the severity of postoperative axial pain as measured by postoperative neck visual analogue scale (nVAS). Clinical parameters including age, sex, smoking history, symptom duration, body mass index (BMI), the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, as well as radiological parameters were obtained pre‐ and post‐operatively, and the data were compared between two groups. Pearson''s chi‐square tests and Mann–Whitney U tests were implemented to identify statistically significant differences between subgroups for categorical and continuous data, respectively; otherwise, the data were tested with Student''s t‐test. Risk factors were identified using logistic regression.ResultsOf the patients (97.8%) achieved satisfied neurological recovery, and 88.2% of the patients achieved fusion at 1‐year follow‐up. 33% of the patients (48 patients out of 144) had sustained postoperative axial pain after the surgery. Comparison of different severity groups exhibited no significant differences in terms of the possible risk factors (P > 0.05) except for pre‐ and post‐operative C2–C7 Cobb angles (6.33 ± 6.53 vs. 11.88 ± 7.41, P < 0.05; 13.49 ± 5.31 vs 16.64 ± 7.34, P < 0.05). Furthermore, correlation analysis showed that the preoperative C2–C7 Cobb angle is significantly correlated with the severity of the postoperative axial pain (R² = 0.83, P < 0.01). In addition, logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the preoperative C2–C7 Cobb angle is an independent predictor of postoperative axial pain (P < 0.01, OR = 0.53). Further receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis displayed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.78 (P < 0.01) for preoperative C2–C7 Cobb angle, and the optimal cutoff was 8.4° (sensitivity 0.77, specificity 0.65).ConclusionThe pre‐operative C2–C7 Cobb angle is a risk factor for severe postoperative axial pain after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with zero‐profile interbody, and we should be cautious when poor preoperative C2–C7 Cobb angle is found in myelopathy patients planning to use zero‐profile interbody to treat such patients.     

Risk Factors for Dysphagia after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with the Zero‐P implant system: A Study with Minimum of 2 Years Follow‐up

ObjectiveTo evaluate the risk factors for dysphagia after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with the Zero‐P Implant System by multidimensional analysis and investigated the predictive values of these risk factors for dysphagia.MethodsA retrospective analysis of 260 patients who underwent ACDF with the Zero‐P Implant System and had at least 2 year of follow‐up were performed. All patients were divided into a non‐dysphagia group and a dysphagia group. Sex, age, body mass index (BMI), intraoperative time, estimated blood loss, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption, prevertebral soft‐tissue thickness, the levels of surgery, O‐C₂ angle, C_2–7 angle, T₁ slope and segmental angle were analyzed. The Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scoring system was used to determine functional status. NDI was used to evaluate neck pain and disability. The Bazaz grading system was chosen to evaluate dysphagia after surgery. Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, infection, and dysphagia were recorded in both groups. An independent t‐test was used to compare quantitative variables, a chi‐square test was used to compare qualitative data between the two groups. To eliminate the influence of confounding factors, logistic regression was performed for multifactor regression of factors. The results were regarded as significant when the P‐values were less than 0.05 in this study.ResultsIn total, the non‐dysphagia group comprised 70 patients and the dysphagia group comprised 190 patients, with an average age of 58.33 ± 4.68 years (ranging, 42–82 years). These patients were followed up for 28.5 ± 3.5 months (range, 24–32 months). For clinical outcomes, both groups demonstrated significant improvement in the NDI and JOA scores (P < 0.001). According to the Bazaz dysphagia grading system, mild, moderate, and severe dysphagia were found in 50, 17, and 3 patients, respectively. In total, 37.1% (n = 26) had resolved by 3 month, 38.6% (n = 27) by 6 months, and 17.1% (n = 12) by 12 months. Chi‐square test results indicated that number of operated levels, operation time dT1 slope, dO‐C₂ angle, dC_2–7 angle, segmental angle and dPSTT were associated with a high incidence of dysphagia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that number of operated levels, operation time, dC_2–7 angle and dPSTT were significantly associated with postoperative dysphagia.ConclusionsMore operated levels, more operation time, more dC_2–7 angle and dPSTT were the risk factors for postoperative dysphagia. In additional, sufficient preoperative preparation, evaluation combined with proficient and precise surgical treatment were suggested to reduce the incidence of postoperative dysphagia when ACDF was performed.