Objective: To explore feasibility, clinical and imaging outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID) for single level large lumbar disc herniation(LDH).
Methods: From October 2018 to March 2023, 31 patients with single level LDH treated with PEID were retrospectively analyzed. Among patients, including 18 males and 13 females, aged from 15 to 40 years old with an average of (28.5±7.4) years old;L4,5 in 10 patients, L5S1 in 21 patients;14 patients on the left side, 17 patients on the right side;the courses of disease ranged from 3 to 19 months with an average of (6.8 ± 3.1) months. Operation time, blood loss, fluoroscopy times and hospital stay were observed. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate low back and leg pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used to evaluate lumbar function, modified MacNab was used to evaluate clinical efficacy at the latest follow-up. Median sagittal diameter of spinal canal, effective sagittal diameter of spinal canal, spinal canal area, and dural sac area were used to evaluate spinal decompression. Anterior, middle, and posterior heights of intervertebral space were used to evaluate intervertebral space changes.
Results: All patients were performed spinal endoscopic surgery, operation time ranged from 30 to 71 min with an average of (48.7±14.2) min, blood loss ranged from 10 to 40 ml with an average of (21.1±7.0) ml, and intraoperative fluoroscopy times ranged from 4 to 7 with an average of (4.7±0.7). The hospital stay ranged from 3 to 8 days with an average of (5.1±1.3) days, and postoperative follow-up ranged from 12 to 34 months with an average of (16.9±4.1) months. VAS of low back pain before operation and 3, 6 months after operation, the latest follow-up were (6.2±1.8), (1.4±0.8), (1.9±0.7), (1.6±0.6), respectively;VAS of leg pain were (7.6±1.6), (1.8±0.9), (1.6±0.6), (1.4±0.7), respectively;ODI were (35.74±4.62), (6.68±1.78), (6.90±1.85), (7.10±1.94), respectively;postoperative lower back pain and leg pain VAS and ODI were significantly improved at all time points after operation (P<0.05). Postoperative VAS of low back pain at 6 months was higher than that of 3 months after operation (P<0.05). At the laest follow-up, 14 patients were excellent, 15 good, and 2 acceptable according to modified MacNab standard. Median diameters of spinal canal were (0.77±0.18) and (1.18±0.24) cm before operation and at the latest follow-up. The effective diameters of spinal canal were (0.48±0.17) and (0.89±0.23) cm, respectively. The vertebral canal areas were (0.90±0.22) and (1.68±0.43) cm2, respectively. Dural sac areas were (0.41±0.10) and (0.81±0.24) cm2, respectively. At the least follow-up, median diameter, effective diameter, area of spinal canal and dural sac were significantly increased compared with those before operation (P<0.05). Anterior vertebral space height before operation was (1.13±0.13) cm, and improved to (0.83±0.11) cm at the latest follow-up. Central height decreased from (0.81±0.20) cm before operation to (0.61±0.14) cm at the latest follow-up. The height of posterior margin decreased from (0.67±0.21) cm before operation to (0.46±0.15) cm at the latest follow-up (P<0.05).
Conclusion: PEID for giant LDH could effectively remove protruding giant nucleus pulposus tissue, and avoid injury to cauda equina nerve and nerve roots, which has good early clinical effect. However, the height of intervertebral space was obviously lost after operation.
Keywords: Endoscopic surgery; Imaging; Lumbar disc herniation.