Lumbar Disk Herniation in Children and Adolescents: The Significance of Configurations of the Lumbar Spine

Lumbar disc herniation in children and elderly patients

INTRODUCTION

Lumbar disc herniation is a common pathology of young and middle-aged patients. Fissures and tears in the annulus fibrosus become weak points that facilitate herniation of the nucleus pulposus, especially when extreme forces 'attack' the intervertebral disc. A significant biomechanical force applied to a healthy ('normal') disc can have the same effect. Disc protrusions and herniations to varying degrees penetrate the spinal canal.

Adolescent Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Herniation: Conservative versus Surgical Treatment

BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) in adolescents is relatively a rare condition among those cases presented with low back pain. Trauma and genetics are the most common predisposing factors. Furthermore, the clinical presentations differ from those of the adults. Back pain is not all marked in adolescent patients. AIM: This study was subjected to discuss the etiology, diagnosis and treatment modalities, and the variable outcomes for both medical and surgical treatment of LDH in adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on 20 patients (12 males, eight females) age range 10–19 years presenting with LDH, managed and treated conservatively and/or surgically in Neurosurgery Department at Kasr Al Ainy School of medicine, Cairo University in the period from October 2015 to September 2016 with 12-month follow-up period. RESULTS: In our study, 12 patients (60%) gave a positive family history, also nine cases (45%) had a history of back trauma before affection with LDH. All the cases (100%) were presented with sciatic pain while only half of them had low back pain, also two cases with motor deficit. After performing magnetic resonance imaging of lumbosacral spine, L5-S1 disc level was the most common level affected. All the patients were subjected to medical treatment which was effective in 40% of the cases and surgical treatment was the only curative method in 12 cases (60%). In this study, the outcome was excellent in 90% of cases where significant to complete relief of pain and significant improvement in the neurological deficits was achieved. CONCLUSION: Conservative treatment is less effective for adolescent LDH patients as compared with adults, even though it remains the fi rst-line treatment for adolescent LDH.

Correlation between Pain Scores and Disc Height Changes after Discectomy in Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Surgery can reduce and improve lumbar disc herniation, but some patients still have pain after surgery, and the relationship between lumbar disc height and pain after surgery is still unclear.

Objective

The main objective is to investigate the relationship between lumbar disc height and postoperative pain.

Methods

We searched Pubmed, Web of Science, the Cochrane library, and Embase online for cohort studies or RCT studies on discectomy and assessed the quality of the included articles using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS scale), with disc height (DH) and postoperative back pain as the main clinical outcome indicators, and the correlation coefficient between DH and back pain as the statistic to assess the pooled effect size.

Results

10 kinds of literature were included in this study for quantitative analysis. A total of 589 patients participated in the study. The follow-up time was between 1 and 2.3 years. Meta-analysis showed that after surgery, the relief of back pain was statistically significant (MD = −2.57, 95% CI (−3.10,−2.04), Z = −9.570, P < 0.0001), the reduction of disc height was statistically significant (MD = −0.82, 95% CI (−1.11, −0.52), Z = −5.477, P < 0.0001), the combined value of correlation coefficient Fisher's Z value was 0.33, 95% CI (0.25,0.42), with statistical significance (P < 0.00001), suggesting that the degree of back pain after surgery showed a moderate positive correlation with disc height in the short term. Discussion. After discectomy, the degree of pain is relieved, the disc height is reduced, and low back pain in the short term and disc height showed a moderate positive correlation, but the long-term correlation remains to be studied in depth.

The effect of transitional vertebrae and spina bifida occulta on disc herniation, disc degeneration, and end-plate changes in pediatric patients with low back pain

The aim of the study is to investigate the assumption whether lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) and spina bifida occulta (SBO) cause lumbar disc herniation (LDH), intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), and vertebral endplate changes / Modic changes (MCs) in children and adolescents with low back pain (LBP). Four hundred patients (aged 10-17) with LBP persisting for at least six weeks were included in the study. Lumbosacral X-rays were examined for the presence of LSTV and SBO. The prevalence of IDD/MCs and LDH at L4-5 and L5-S1 levels were investigated by evaluating the lumbosacral MRI of the patients with and without LSTV-SBO. The study population consisted of 219 girls and 181 boys with mean age 14.9±1.9. LSTV was determined in 67 (16.8%) patients and SBO in 62 (15.5%). No significant difference was observed in the prevalence of IDD, MCs, and LDH in patients with and without LSTV/SBO. LSTV and SBO were not observed in approximately 80% of patients without LDH and IDD/MCs. The presence of LSTV and SBO does not appear to represent a risk factor for early degeneration in lumbar spine and LDH in children and adolescents with LBP.

Demographic predictors of treatments and surgical complications of lumbar degenerative diseases: An analysis of over 250,000 patients from the National Inpatient Sample

ABSTRACT

This was a national database study.To examine the role of comorbidities and demographics on inpatient complications in patients with lumbar degenerative conditions.Degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine account for the most common indication for spine surgery in the elderly population in the United States. Significant studies investigating demographic as predictors of surgical rates and health outcomes for degenerative lumbar conditions are lacking.Data were obtained from the National Inpatient Sample from 2010 to 2014 and International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify patients with a primary diagnosis of degenerative lumbar condition. Patients were stratified based on demographic variables and comorbidity status. Multivariate regression analyses were used to determine whether any individual demographic variables, such as race, sex, insurance, and hospital status predicted postoperative complications.A total of 256,859 patients were identified for analysis. The rate of overall complications was found to be 16.1% with a mortality rate of 0.10%. Female, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander patients had lower odds of receiving surgical treatment compared to White patients (P<.001). Medicare and Medicaid patients were less likely to be surgically managed than patients with private insurance (OR = 0.75, 0.37; P<.001, respectively). Urban hospitals were more likely to provide surgery when compared to rural hospitals (P < .001). Patients undergoing fusion had more complications than decompression alone (P < .001). Females, Medicare insurance status, Medicaid insurance status, urban hospital locations, and certain geographical locations were found to predict postoperative complications (P < .001).There were substantial differences in surgical management and postoperative complications among individuals of different sex, races, and insurance status. Further investigation evaluating the effect of demographics in spine surgery is warranted to fully understand their influence on patient complications.

Predictors of Spondylolysis on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Adolescent Athletes With Low Back Pain

Background:

Spondylolysis and undiagnosed mechanical low back pain (UMLBP) are the main causes of low back pain (LBP) in adolescent athletes. No studies have evaluated the difference in clinical and radiographic factors between these 2 conditions. Furthermore, it remains unclear which adolescent athletes with LBP should undergo advanced imaging examination for spondylolysis.

Purpose:

To compare the clinical and radiographic factors of adolescent athletes with spondylolysis and UMLBP who did not have neurological symptoms or findings before magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation and to determine the predictors of spondylolysis findings on MRI.

Study Design:

Cohort study, Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

The study population included 122 adolescent athletes aged 11 to 18 years who had LBP without neurological symptoms or findings and who underwent MRI. Of these participants, 75 were ultimately diagnosed with spondylolysis, and 47 were diagnosed with UMLBP. Clinical factors and the following radiographic parameters were compared between the 2 groups: spina bifida occulta, lumbar lordosis (LL) angle, and the ratio of the interfacet distance of L1 to that of L5 (L1:L5 ratio, %). A logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate independent predictors of spondylolysis on MRI scans.

Results:

Significantly more athletes with spondylolysis were male (82.7% vs 48.9%; P < .001), had a greater LL angle (22.8° ± 8.1° vs 19.3° ± 8.5°; P = .02), and had a higher L1:L5 ratio (67.4% ± 6.3% vs 63.4% ± 6.6%; P = .001) versus athletes with UMLBP. A multivariate analysis revealed that male sex (odds ratio [OR], 4.66; P < .001) and an L1:L5 ratio of >65% (OR, 3.48; P = .003) were independent predictors of positive findings of spondylolysis on MRI scans.

Conclusion:

The study findings indicated that sex and the L1:L5 ratio are important indicators for whether to perform MRI as an advanced imaging examination for adolescent athletes with LBP who have no neurological symptoms and findings.

Association between Serum Levels of Interleukin-6 on Pain and Disability in Lumbar Disc Herniation Surgery

Context:

Many inflammatory cytokines are also elevated in degenerated or herniated intervertebral discs. Among biomarkers, interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays an essential role in the inflammatory process of disc herniation. Some studies have suggested that an increase in serum IL-6 levels occurs in sustained radicular pain.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between changes in IL-6 serum level and pain and disability index in patients with radicular pain in acute herniated lumbar disc before and after lumbar disc surgery.

Settings and Design:

This is a descriptive-analytic prospective study to examine the association between IL-6 serum levels on pain and disability before and after the surgery in patients admitted with acute herniated lumbar intervertebral discs from 2015 to 2018 in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Sari, Mazandaran, Iran.

Subjects and Methods:

The blood level of IL-6, the severity of pain based on visual analog score, and disability based on the Oswestry disability index were measured before and 3 months after surgery.

Statistical Analysis Used:

All data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.

Results:

Thirty-two patients were enrolled in the study. Seventeen patients were male. The mean age was 39.53 ± 8.89 years. IL-6 concentration, 4.36 and 1.16 pg/ml were determined as cutoff before and after the surgery.

Conclusions:

The acceptable sensitivity and specificity of IL were obtained in this study. Our findings revealed that IL-6 could be used as a biomarker for predicting postoperative pain relief and disability improvement.

Pediatric herniated lumbar disc: a population-based risk factor analysis

OBJECTIVE

Surgical treatment of herniated lumbar disc (HLD) remains rare in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for potential disease risk factors leading to surgery based on a large single-center experience.

METHODS

Data for all patients who had undergone surgical treatment for HLD between December 2008 and December 2016 at a single pediatric tertiary care referral center were collected and compared to data for a healthy control population obtained through a Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) survey in order to determine relevant disease risk factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the effect of potential risk factors.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven patients in the disease cohort and 5212 healthy controls from the general population were included in the risk factor analysis. The mean body mass index was significantly higher in the disease population (30.2 vs 24.0 kg/m2, p < 0.0001). Children who had undergone microdiscectomy were more likely to be obese (OR 7.4, 95% CI 3.46-15.8, p < 0.001). No association was found between lumbar microdiscectomy and sports participation (OR 1.0, 95% CI -0.002 to 0.005, p = 0.37).

CONCLUSIONS

Microdiscectomy remains a viable and safe option in the setting of failed conservative management for pediatric HLD. Childhood obesity is a risk factor for HLD and many other diseases, which increases its importance as a public health priority.

Size Matters: Which Adolescent Patients Are Most Likely to Require Surgical Decompression for Lumbar Disk Herniations?

BACKGROUND

Lumbar herniated nucleus pulposis (HNP) occurs infrequently in the pediatric/adolescent population. A minority of patients with radicular symptoms fail to improve with conservative management and require discectomy. The authors hypothesize that children who ultimately require surgical intervention have an underlying lumbar stenosis predisposing them to continued symptoms.

METHODS

Pediatric patients with a lumbar HNP on advanced imaging were retrospectively identified at a tertiary pediatric orthopaedic institution. Patients with spondylolisthesis, fractures, previous spine surgery, or structural thoracolumbar scoliosis were excluded. On sagittal magnetic resonance imagings, measurements were taken of the L4 and L5 vertebral body diameters (VBD) and canal diameters (CD) by 2 independent reviewers. Statistical analysis was performed using 2 sample T tests followed by logistic regression analysis. This was utilized to identify significant associations between CD and need for surgical decompression.

RESULTS

A total of 76 patients (37 males/39 females) were identified with a lumbar HNP from 2001 to 2016. Eleven patients underwent discectomy. Sixty-five patients were managed conservatively. Age at magnetic resonance imaging was not different between groups (15.1±1.7 vs. 14.9±2.2 y, P=0.82). VBD at L4 and L5 were not different between groups (P=0.2 and 0.36, respectively). The reviewers had fair to good (0.584-0.854) interrater reliability correlation coefficients. CD was decreased in the surgically treated cohort at L4 (11.6±1.6 vs. 14.2±2.1 mm, P=0.0002) and at L5 (10.1±1.3 vs. 14.2±2.2 mm, P<0.00001). The ratio of CD:VBD was lower in the surgically treated group at L4 (0.36±0.06 vs. 0.46±0.08, P=0.0002) and L5 (0.31±0.68 vs. 0.45±0.08, P<0.00001). Patients with a L4 CD<12.6 mm were 18.8× more likely to require surgical decompression. 100% of patients with a L5 CD<12.36 mm ultimately underwent surgical decompression.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent patients with congenital lumbar stenosis that develop a lumbar HNP are significantly more likely to require surgical decompression to relieve persistent radicular symptoms. A L4 CD<12.6 mm and a L5 CD<12.36 mm were highly correlated with the need for decompression.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III-prognostic study.

[Efficacy of erector spinae block versus retrolaminar block for postoperative analgesia following posterior lumbar surgery]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effect of erector spinae plane block and retrolaminar block for relieving acute pain after posterior lumbar surgery.

METHODS

Eighty-nine patients undergoing selective posterior lumbar surgery under general anesthesia in our hospital between January and December, 2018, were recruited. Of these patients, 30 received total intravenous general anesthesia to serve as the control group, 28 received total intravenous general anesthesia (TIVA) combined with erector spinae plane block (ESPB), and 31 had TIVA combined with retrolaminar block (RLB). All the patients received patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) for postoperative analgesia, and their heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse oximetry were routinely monitored during the anesthesia. VAS scores were evaluated before and at 2, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h after the surgery. Sufentanil consumption during the operation and PCIA were also recorded. The postoperative complications such as nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, itching and respiratory depression within 48 h after the surgery were also recorded.

RESULTS

At 2, 8 and 12 h postoperatively, VAS scores in the ESPB group and RLB group were significantly lower than those in the control group; the scores were significantly lower in RLB group than in ESPB group (P &lt; 0.05). Compared with that in the control group, sufentanil consumption during the operation and PCIA were significantly decreased in both ESPB and RLB groups, particularly in the latter group (P &lt; 0.05). Two patients experienced nausea and vomiting and 1 patient complained of pruritus in control group; 1 patient had over sedation and 1 had urinary retention in ESPB group; 1 patient had urinary retention in RLB group.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound-guided RLB has better analgesic effect than ESPB for management of perioperative pain following posterior lumbar surgery.

Percutaneous endoscopic discectomy in adolescent lumbar disc herniation: a 3- to 5-year study

OBJECTIVEThe authors sought to investigate the efficiency of percutaneous endoscopic discectomy (PED) in adolescent patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), compare PED outcomes in adolescent patients with those in young adult LDH patients as controls, and discuss relevant technical notes.METHODSThis was a retrospective study involving 19 adolescent LDH patients (age > 13 and < 18 years, 20 discectomies) and 38 young adults (age < 40 years, 38 discectomies) who also had LDH and were matched to the adolescent group for sex and body mass index. The combined cohort included 51 male patients (89.5%) and 6 female patients (10.5%), with an average age of 26.7 years (range 14-39 years). The operated levels included L3-4 in 1 patient (1.7%), L4-5 in 22 patients (37.9%), and L5-S1 in 35 patients (60.4%). Two adolescents (10.5%) exhibited apophyseal ring separation and one (5.3%) had had previous PED. All patients underwent PED under local anesthesia. Outcomes were evaluated through a visual analog scale (VAS), the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scoring system, and the modified MacNab grading system.RESULTSThe mean duration of follow-up was 41.7 months (range 36-65 months). The outcomes in adolescents were satisfactory and comparable with previously reported outcomes of microsurgical discectomy (MD) and conventional open discectomy (COD). The adolescent patients had a faster and better recovery course than the adult patients (p < 0.01). One adolescent patient (5.3%) exhibited recurrence and 2 adults (5.3%) experienced transient dysesthesia; the complication rates were comparable in the 2 age groups (p = 0.47). Prolonged duration of symptoms (p < 0.01) and disc degeneration (p = 0.01) were correlated with lower postoperative JOA values; patients with extrusions had higher postoperative JOA values than those with protrusions (p = 0.01).CONCLUSIONSPED may yield favorable results in the treatment of adolescent LDH in terms of short- to medium-term follow-up; restricted discectomy and a conservative rehabilitation program might be advisable. Further long-term studies are warranted to address this rare disease entity.

Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebra: Possible Role in the Pathogenesis of Adolescent Lumbar Disc Herniation

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV) in the pathogenesis of adolescent lumbar disc herniation (ALDH) and the association between LSTV type and the herniation level of ALDH.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective case-control analysis of roentgenographic images. All adolescent patients who received surgical treatment for L4/5 or L5/S1 single level lumbar disc herniation in our department from 2010 to 2015 were eligible for the ALDH group. All adolescent patients admitted to our hospital during the same period and who had ever undergone a plain anteroposterior radiologic examination of the abdomen and met the inclusion criteria that ensured the absence of any spinal disorders were selected into the control group. The anteroposterior lumbar or abdomen roentgenograms were collected to identify the LSTV. The incidence of LSTV in the ALDH group and the control group were compared. Among the ALDH group, the association between LSTV type (sacralization or lumbarization) and the herniation level of ALDH were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 80 adolescent patients were included in the ALDH group and 92 asymptomatic adolescents were included in the control group. LSTV was found in 24 patients (30%) in ALDH group compared with 7 patients (7.6%) in the control group (P < 0.001; odds ratio, 5.2; 95% confidence interval 2.1, 12.9). Among the adolescent patients with sacralization, the L4/5 disc herniation was significantly more common than L5/S1 (81.3% vs. 18.7%; P = 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

The LSTV is associated with LDH in adolescents and the sacralization of L5 may contribute to the L4/5 disc herniation in adolescent patients.

Evaluation and management of lower back pain in young athletes

Lower back pain in young athletes is a common problem. The prevalence of back pain from different causes in adolescent age group is between 20% and 30%. However, the incidence of low back pain in young athletes varies widely in different sports. Overuse injuries are the most common cause of low back pain in young athletes. In case of overuse injuries, the cause and effect relationship between back pain and specific condition is often difficult to establish. In adolescent athletes, the most common underlying identified cause of low back pain is lumbar spondylolysis. During adolescent growth spurt, the severity of the pain generally correlates with adolescent growth spurt. Participation in sports starting at an early age and for a longer duration tends to increase the risk for back pain. Numerous conditions cause low back pain in athletes. These include acute trauma, chronic overuse or repetitive trauma, and referred pain. Our focus in here will be on selected conditions that cause recurrent or chronic low back pain.

Lumbar microdiscectomy for sciatica in adolescents: a multicentre observational registry-based study

Background

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is rare in the adolescent population. Factors predisposing to LDH in adolescents differ from adults with more cases being related to trauma or structural malformations. Further, there are limited data on patient-reported outcomes after lumbar microdiscectomy in adolescents. Our aim was to compare clinical outcomes at 1 year following single-level lumbar microdiscectomy in adolescents (13–19 years old) compared to younger adults (20–50 years old) with LDH.

Methods

Data were collected through the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. Patients were eligible if they had radiculopathy due to LDH, underwent single-level lumbar microdiscectomy between January 2007 and May 2014, and were between 13 and 50 years old at time of surgery. The primary endpoint was change in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) 1 year after surgery. Secondary endpoints were generic quality of life (EuroQol five dimensions [EQ-5D]), back pain numerical rating scale (NRS), leg pain NRS and complications.

Results

A total of 3,245 patients were included (97 patients 13–19 years old and 3,148 patients 20–50 years old). A significant improvement in ODI was observed for the whole population, but there was no difference between groups (0.6; 95% CI, −4.5 to 5.8; p = 0.811). There were no differences between groups concerning EQ-5D (−0.04; 95% CI, −0.15 to 0.07; p = 0.442), back pain NRS (−0.4; 95% CI, −1.2 to 0.4; p = 0.279), leg pain NRS (−0.4; 95% CI, −1.2 to 0.5; p = 0.374) or perioperative complications (1.0% for adolescents, 5.1% for adults, p = 0.072).

Conclusions

The effectiveness and safety of single-level microdiscectomy are similar in adolescents and the adult population at 1-year follow-up.