Unilateral or Bilateral Percutaneous Endoscopic Debridement and Lavage Treatment for Lumbar Spinal Tuberculosis

Bilateral Endoscopic Debridement Combined with Local Antituberculosis Drugs for Thoracic Tuberculosis with Large Paravertebral Abscess: A Multicenter Study with 4-year Follow-Up

BACKGROUND

Paravertebral abscess represents a prevalent manifestation of thoracic tuberculosis, often necessitating surgical intervention. In this study, we introduced a novel approach by employing bilateral endoscopic debridement (BED) to address large Paravertebral abscesses associated with thoracic tuberculosis, a method not previously proposed in the literature. The clinical efficacy was examined through a comprehensive 4-year follow-up.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis on patients diagnosed with thoracic tuberculosis and paravertebral abscess who underwent BED combined with local antituberculosis drugs (BED + LAD) between February 2015 and February 2019. A total of 29 eligible patients (12 males and 17 females) with a median (interquartile ranges) of 59.0(16.5) years were included in the study. All patients received the BED + LAD treatment. After the surgery, the patients were treated with a 4-drug antituberculosis therapy (Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol). All relevant indicators were meticulously recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS

The surgical procedures were successfully completed for all subjects, with an average intraoperative bleeding volume of (25.2 ± 8.9) ml, an average surgical time of (68.4 ± 14.0) minutes, an average fluoroscopy frequency of (21.7 ± 8.2) times, an average hospital stay of (14.2 ± 4.3) days, and an average medication period of (42.1 ± 9.6) weeks. All subjects completed at least a 4-year follow-up period. At the final follow-up, ESR and CRP levels returned to normal, and there was no significant increase in the Cobb angle (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The application of BED + LAD in the treatment of thoracic tuberculosis and paravertebral abscess proved to be a safe, effective, and feasible approach.

Biportal endoscopic decompression, debridement, and interbody fusion, combined with percutaneous screw fixation for lumbar brucellosis spondylitis

Objective

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of biportal endoscopic decompression, debridement, and interbody fusion, combined with percutaneous screw fixation for lumbar brucellosis spondylitis (LBS).

Methods

The data of 13 patients with LBS were retrospectively analyzed, who underwent biportal endoscopic decompression, debridement, and interbody fusion, combined with percutaneous screw fixation from May 2020 to June 2022. The patients' clinical data, the duration of operation, the estimated blood loss (including postoperative drainage), and complications were recorded. Clinical outcomes include serum agglutination test (SAT) measures Brucella antibody titer, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), the visual analog scale (VAS) scores of low back and leg, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), American Spinal Injury Association neurological classification, and lordotic angle were analyzed. All patients were assessed using the modified Macnab criteria at the final follow-up. The intervertebral bone graft fusion was assessed using the Bridwell grading criteria.

Results

The mean operation duration was 177.31 ± 19.54 min, and the estimated blood loss was 176.15 ± 43.79 ml (including postoperative drainage was 41.15 ± 10.44 ml). The mean follow-up period was 13.92 ± 1.5 months. SAT showed that the antibody titers of 13 patients were normal 3 months after the operation and at the final follow-up. ESR and CRP levels returned to normal by the end of the 3-month follow-up. VAS scores of low back and leg, JOA score, and ODI significantly improved after the operation throughout the follow-up period (P < 0.05). Based on the modified Macnab criteria, 92.3% showed excellent to good outcomes. One patient had only a percutaneous screw internal fixation on the decompression side due to severe osteoporosis. One case suffered a superficial incision infection postoperatively that healed with dressing change and effective antibiotic treatment. Bony fusion was obtained in all patients at the last follow-up, including 12 cases with grade I and 1 case with grade II, with a fusion rate of 92.31%.

Conclusion

Biportal endoscopic decompression, debridement, and interbody fusion, combined with percutaneous screw fixation is an effective, safe, and viable surgical procedure for the treatment of LBS.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Percutaneous Spinal Endoscopy versus Traditional Open Surgery for Lumbar Disc Herniation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

Systematic analysis of the incidence of percutaneous spinal endoscopic technique and traditional open surgery for lumbar disc herniation.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) and cohort study on complications related to traditional open surgery was searched on the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese journal full-text database (CNKI), Wanfang, and Embase database. Language is not limited. The quality of each study was evaluated, various complications were compiled into electronic baseline tables, and the data from these studies were available. Meta-analysis and synthesis were performed with the RevMan 5.3 software to evaluate the statistical significance of both surgical techniques in terms of various complications.

Results

12 studies were eventually included, and a total of 2,797 patients were included in the analysis. Meta-analysis results showed that there was no statistical difference in postoperative paresthesia between percutaneous spinal endoscopy and traditional open surgery (OR = 1.17, 95% CI (0.82, 1.66), P = 0.38, I ² = 0%, Z = 0.88), direct nerve root damage (OR = 0.79, 95% CI (0.58, 1.07), P = 0.13, I ² = 73%, Z = 1.52), and intraoperative hemorrhage and hematoma formation (OR = 1.00, 95% CI (0.67, 1.48), P = 0.99, I ² = 0%, Z = 0.02), but there was a statistical difference in disc recurrence (OR = 2.24, 95% CI (1.56, 3.21), P < 0.0001, I ² = 81%, Z = 4.39).

Conclusion

Compared with the traditional open surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation, percutaneous spinal endoscopic technology has obvious advantages in reducing nerve root injury, dural injury, and surgical area wound complications, but it is limited to preventing the technical characteristics of the surgical site, which is worse than that of open surgery.