Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of uniportal full-visualization spinal endoscopic lateral foraminoplasty for lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS). Methods The clinical data of patients with LFS treated with uniportal full-visualization spinal endoscopic lateral foraminoplasty at Mianyang Orthopedic Hospital between January 2023 and June 2024 were retrospectively collected. The patients’ Visual Analogue Scale score, Oswestry Disability Index, lumbar CT before and after surgery, lumbar MacNab efficacy at the last postoperative follow-up, and surgical related conditions were analyzed to evaluate surgical efficacy and safety. Results A total of 58 patients were included, including 40 males and 18 females, with an average age of (67.8±8.8) years. The surgical duration was (76.6±10.6) minutes, and the hospitalization duration was (5.2±0.9) days. All patients did not experience complications such as nerve or spinal dural injury after surgery. The patients’ postoperative pain score, Oswestry Disability Index, intervertebral foramen height, width, and area all improved compared to preoperative levels (P<0.05). At the last follow-up after surgery, the excellent and good efficacy rate of lumbar MacNab was 93.1%. There were no surgical related complications during the perioperative period, and there were no reoperations during the follow-up period. Conclusion The uniportal full-visualization spinal endoscopic lateral foraminoplasty for LFS has good clinical efficacy and safety, but further large-scale, multi-center randomized controlled studies are needed in the future for further exploration.
Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of endoscopy-assisted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical spondylosis. Methods The clinical data of patients treated with water medium endoscopy-assisted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical spondylosis at Mianyang Orthopedic Hospital between September 2021 and September 2023 were retrospectively collected. The surgical efficacy and nerve injury recovery were evaluated based on the Neck Disabilitv Index (NDI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, improvement rate of JOA score, Cobb angle and height changes of the affected intervertebral space before surgery and at the last follow-up, as well as the occurrence of surgical complications. Results A total of 29 patients were included, including 18 males and 11 females. The average age was (52.34±8.96) years, and the average duration of illness was (17.31±6.60) months. The average follow-up time was (11.69±3.41) months. At the last follow-up, the patients’ NDI (3.55±3.09 vs. 17.28±5.51), Cobb angle [(15.25±4.83) vs. (?1.34±7.50)°], intervertebral height [(8.04±0.82) vs. (4.67±0.95) mm], and JOA score (15.90±1.11 vs. 11.17±1.65) improved compared to preoperative levels (P<0.05). The JOA score improvement rate assessment showed that 16 cases were excellent, 11 cases were fine, 2 cases were moderate, and the excellent and fine rate was 93.10%. All patients did not experience serious complications after surgery. Conclusion Water medium endoscopy-assisted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical spondylosis has good clinical efficacy and safety.
Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of biportal endoscopic discectomy combined with annulus fibrosus suture in the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation (RLDH). Methods The clinical data of patients with RLDH who underwent biportal endoscopic discectomy combined with annulus fibrosus suture using a single-use suture device at Mianyang Orthopaedic Hospital between May 2020 and July 2022 were retrospectively collected. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for low back and leg pain and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores on postoperative Day 3 and at the last follow-up were used to assess pain and functional status. Postoperative lumbar CT, MRI, and dynamic X-rays were obtained to evaluate the extent of decompression, disc removal, and spinal stability. Clinical efficacy during follow-up was assessed using the MacNab criteria since postoperative 3 months. Results Twenty-one RLDH patients (16 males, 5 females) with a mean age of (45.14±15.26) years (range: 17-62 years) were included. The involved segments were L3-L4 in 1 case, L4-L5 in 9 cases, and L5-S1 in 11 cases. All surgeries were successfully completed without complications such as nerve injury, symptomatic epidural hypertension, dural tear, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, or infection. All patients were followed up for a mean duration of (11.38±3.51) months (range: 4-17 months). No recurrence of disc herniation or segmental instability was observed during follow-up. Significant improvements were seen in VAS scores for low back pain (2.90±0.70, 1.38±0.81), leg pain (2.33±0.58, 1.29±0.46), and ODI scores [(24.12±5.05)%, (11.29±1.86)%] on postoperative Day 3 and at the last follow-up compared to the preoperative values [5.90±1.09, 6.10±0.77, (57.08±9.72)%; all P<0.05]. According to the MacNab criteria, the clinical efficacy was rated as excellent in 16 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 2 cases, yielding an excellent-good rate of 90.5%. Conclusion Biportal endoscopic discectomy with annulus fibrosus suture is a safe and effective treatment for RLDH, demonstrating favourable clinical outcomes and warranting further research and application.