Anterior epiduroscopic neural decompression: Eight-center experience in 154 patients

Manejo de adherencias epidurales y dolor lumbar crónico posquirúrgico con epiduroscopia

Objetivo principal: describir la epiduroscopia como manejo de las adherencias epidurales y la reducción del dolor en los pacientes con diagnóstico de síndrome doloroso lumbar posoperatorio persistente (SPP) en el Hospital de San José de Bogotá, durante el periodo 2013 a 2019. Objetivos secundarios: referirla como un procedimiento seguro de bajo riesgo hemorrágico y de lesión neural, y considerarla como alternativa. Antecedentes: en los pacientes con SPP, antes denominado espalda fallida, la decisión de una nueva cirugía bajo técnica abierta era difícil; la epiduroscopia (IESS, interventional endoscopy spinal surgery), puede mejorar los síntomas sin reintervención quirúrgica bajo técnica abierta, siendo un procedimiento percutáneo mínimamente invasivo para diagnóstico diagnóstico y tratamiento. Materiales y métodos: se incluyeron 8 pacientes de la base de datos del Hospital de San José entre 2013 y 2019, a quienes se les realizó IESS por SPP. Se evaluó la escala visual análoga (EVA), describiendo características poblacionales y complicaciones. Resultados: 75% presentaron EVA menor de 7.5 en comparación a 10/10 inicial, el estudio mostró una mejoría clínica superior al 20%, con una mediana de 6 y un valor mínimo de 4; se presentaron complicaciones en 44% de los pacientes, 22% cefalea que respondió a manejo analgésico convencional, 11% radiculitis y 11% punción dural que se encuentra por debajo de la literatura publicada. Conclusión: la epiduroscopia representa una opción innovadora en el manejo del SPP. Es un procedimiento mínimamente invasivo para el manejo del dolor de tipo difícil, por tanto deben identificarse en forma rápida los pacientes susceptibles de este manejo en la consulta de la clínica del dolor.

The Effects of the Amount of Fluid Used in Epiduroscopic Laser Neural Discectomy Procedures on Intraocular Pressure and an Evaluation of the Ocular Findings

INTRODUCTION

During epiduroscopic laser neural discectomy (ELNP) procedures, the amount of fluid used in the epidural area may cause increased intracranial pressure. This study aimed to investigate the effect of increased epidural pressure on intraocular pressure and other ocular findings due to the amount of fluid delivered to the epidural area and the rate of delivery of the fluid.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

After obtaining approval from the Ethics Committee of Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, patients who underwent ELNP in the Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation Department, Algology Clinic, between January 2017 and May 2017 were included in this retrospective study. To evaluate the ocular findings after the operation, measurements obtained using an optical coherence tomography device were retrieved from the patient files and evaluated.

RESULTS

Data from the medical files of 52 patients from the hospital system were evaluated. There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, mean central macular thickness, optic disk area, and vertical cup-to-disk ratio (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Epiduroscopy procedures include intermittent or continuous infusion of saline into the epidural area. Currently, the volume of fluid that should be given to the epidural area in epiduroscopy procedures is very controversial. As a result of this study, we concluded that the amount of fluid used during ELNP, at 107.25 mL and 8.33 mL/min, had no effect on the intraocular pressure, optic disk diameter, macular thickness, or peripapillary RNFL thickness; thus, it was safe for ELNP.

Trans-Sacral Epiduroscopic Laser Decompression for Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Preliminary Case Series

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of trans-sacral epiduroscopic laser decompression (SELD) in patients with a herniated lumbar disc.

METHODS

This prospective case series study was designed to determine the outcomes of SELD with regard to reducing pain and improving the functional status in patients with low back pain (LBP) and radiculopathy caused by definitive neural compression confirmed by MRI. A total of 250 patients with LBP and simultaneous radiculopathy underwent SELD by applying a Ho:YAG laser. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for LBP, and radiculopathy and functional status were measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

RESULTS

At 2 weeks after the procedure, the average VAS score for leg pain decreased to 3.6 from 7.1 (p < 0.01), and the average VAS score for back pain decreased to 4.1 from 5.9 (p < 0.01). At 3 months, the average VAS scores for leg and back pain decreased to 2.6 and 2.7, respectively. The mean ODI improved from 50 to 19 at 2 weeks postoperatively and further decreased to 12 at 3 months postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

The VAS score and ODI significantly improved after SELD in herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) patients with LBP and radiculopathy. Postoperative MRI showed a notable decrease in the HNP size and a reduction in neural compression. SELD is suggested to be an effective therapeutic modality for patients with symptomatic HNP.

A preliminary study on surgical navigation for epiduroscopic laser neural decompression

Epiduroscopic laser neural decompression is an emerging therapeutic modality to treat lumbar spine pathologies including chronic low back pain, spinal stenosis, and disk herniation via catheter insertion followed by laser ablation of the lesion. Despite the efficacy of epiduroscopic laser neural decompression, excessive radiation doses due to fluoroscopy during epiduroscopic laser neural decompression have limited its widespread application. To address the issue, we propose a surgical navigation system to assist in epiduroscopic laser neural decompression procedures using radiation-free image guidance. An electromagnetic tracking system was used as the basic modality to track the internal location of the surgical instrument with respect to the patient body. Patient-to-image registration was carried out using the point-based registration method to determine the transformation between the coordinate system of the patient and that of the medical images. We applied the proposed system in epiduroscopic laser neural decompression procedures to assess its effectiveness, and the outcomes confirmed its clinical feasibility. To the best of our knowledge, this is a report on the first surgical navigation applied for epiduroscopic laser neural decompression procedure.

Approach for epiduroscopic laser neural decompression in case of the sacral canal stenosis

Epiduroscopy is very useful in the treatment of not only low back pain caused by failed back surgery syndrome, epidural scar or herniated disc but also by chronic refractory low back pain which does not respond to interventional conservative treatment including fluoroscopically-directed epidural steroid injections and percutaneous adhesiolysis. Because cauterization using a laser fiber has become recently available, a wider opening is required to enter into the sacral canal in the case of epiduroscopic laser neural decompression (ELND). However, in a few patients, it is difficult to insert a device into the epidural space due to stenosis around the opening, and there is no alternative method. Herein, we report a case where a hiatus rasp specially designed for such patients was used to perform the operation.

The survey of the patient received the epiduroscopic laser neural decompression

Background

Neuroplasty using a Racz catheter or epiduroscope and percutaneous endoscopic laser discectomy are performed as treatment for chronic refractory low back and/or lower extremity pain, but they are limited in that they cannot completely remove the causing pathology. Lately, epiduroscopic laser neural decompression (ELND) has been receiving attention as an alternative treatment, but there are insufficient reports of results. Hence we aimed to investigate and report the data in our hospital.

Methods

Seventy-seven patients were selected who had received ELND via the anterior and posterior epidural approach through the pain clinic in our hospital from March 2011 to July 2012. Their medical records including age, diagnosis, epiduroscopic findings and degree of symptom relief were investigated. The degree of symptom relief following the procedure was categorized into 5 stages of very good (5), good (4), no change (3), bad (2), and very bad (1) at 2 weeks and 1 month after the procedure.

Results

The subjects were 30 males and 47 females. Mean age was 54.6 for males and 59.6 for females, so the overall mean age was 58.1 years old, with the youngest being 23 and the oldest 88 years old. In epiduroscopic images of all patients, more than one situation of herniated disc, fibrous tissue and adhesion, or inflammation was observed. Sixty-seven patients (87.0%) showed symptom relief 2 weeks after the procedure and 63 patients (81.8%) showed relief after 1 month.

Conclusions

ELND is considered to be an effective treatment alternative for chronic refractory low back and/or lower extremity pain, including lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, and failed back surgery syndrome which cannot be alleviated with existing non-invasive conservative treatment.