Objective assessment of reduced invasiveness in MED

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD), microendoscopic discectomy (MED), and microdiscectomy (MD) for treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (LDH). METHODS One hundred ninety-two patients with symptomatic LDH at L3-4 and L4-5 were included in this study. The mean (± SD) age of patients was 34.2 ± 2.6 years (range 18-62 years). The patients were divided into groups as follows: group A was treated with PETD and included 60 patients (31 men and 29 women) with a mean age of 36.2 years; group B was treated with MED and included 63 patients (32 men and 31 women) with a mean age of 33.1 years; and group C was treated with MD and included 69 patients (36 men and 33 women) with a mean age of 34.0 years. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scale for low-back pain (LBP), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), creatine phosphokinase activity 3 days after surgery, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores for LBP and leg pain were used for evaluation of clinical results. RESULTS There were no significant differences in mean preoperative JOA score, ODI score, and VAS scores for LBP and leg pain among groups A, B, and C. Incision length, duration of the operation, blood loss, creatine phosphokinase, length of hospital stay, and postoperative incision pain according to the VAS were best in the PETD group (p < 0.05). The number of seconds of intraoperative fluoroscopy was highest in the PETD group (p < 0.05), whereas there was no difference between the MED and MD groups. Three cases from the MED group and 2 cases from the MD group had an intraoperative durotomy. No CSF leakage was observed after surgery. One case from the MED group and 3 cases from the MD group had incision infections. There were no neurological deficits related to the surgeries in any of the groups. Fifty-five (91.6%), 59 (93.7%), and 62 patients (89.9%) had at least 2 years of follow-up in groups A, B, and C, respectively. At the last follow-up, JOA scores, VAS scores of LBP and leg pain, and ODI scores were significantly better than preoperative correlates in all groups. There were no differences among the 3 groups in JOA scores, JOA recovery rate, ODI scores, and VAS scores for leg pain. The VAS score for LBP was best in the PETD group (p < 0.05). No lumbar instability was observed in any group. Three cases (5.5%) in the PETD group had recurrent LDH, and 2 recurrent cases (3.4%) were confirmed in the MED group. CONCLUSIONS PETD, MED, and MD were all reliable techniques for the treatment of symptomatic LDH. With a restricted indication, PETD can result in rapid recovery and better clinical results after at least 2 years of follow-up.

We assessed the long-term outcomes of patients with lumbar disc herniation treated with percutaneous lumbar discectomy (PLD) or microendoscopic discectomy (MED). A retrospective study was performed in consecutive patients with lumbar disc herniation treated with PLD (n = 129) or MED (n = 101) in a single hospital from January 2000 to March 2002. All patients were followed up with MacNab criteria and self-evaluation questionnaires comprising the Oswestry Disability Index and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Several statistical methods were used for analyses of the data, and a p value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. A total of 104 patients (80.62%) with PLD and 82 patients (81.19%) with MED were eligible for analyses, with a mean follow-up period of 6.64 +/- 0.67 years and 6.42 +/- 0.51 years, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in age, number of lesions, major symptoms and physical signs, and radiological findings. According to the MacNab criteria, 75.96% in the PLD group and 84.15% in the MED group achieved excellent or good results, respectively, this was statistically significant (p = 0.0402). With the Oswestry Disability Index questionnaires, the average scores and minimal disability, respectively, were 6.97 and 71.15% in the PLD group and 4.89 and 79.27% in the MED group. Total average scores of Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were 75.88 vs. 81.86 in PLD group vs. MED group (p = 0.0582). The cost and length of hospitalization were higher or longer in MED group, a statistically significant difference (both p < 0.0001). Long-term complications were observed in two patients (2.44%) in the MED group, no such complications were observed in the PLD group. Both PLD and MED show an acceptable long-term efficacy for treatment of lumbar disc herniation. Compared with MED patients, long-term satisfaction is slightly lower in the PLD patients; complications, hospitalization duration, and costs in PLD group are also lower.

Introduction Despite all of the technical refinements, surgical treatment of herniated discs still remains controversial. The objective of the current prospective randomized study was to compare the outcome of patients with persistent sciatica secondary to lumbar disc herniation treated with either open discectomy (OD) or microendoscopic discectomy (MED) technique. Patients and Methods We performed a prospective controlled randomized study of 40 patients with sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniations nonresponsive to conservative treatment who underwent OD or MED with a 24-month follow-up period. Pre- and postoperative neurological status, pain, and functional outcome were evaluated. Other studied variables were the duration of the procedure, blood loss, time of hospital stay, and time to return to work. Statistical analysis with a p value less than 0.005 was performed. Results The only statistically significant differences found were for size of the incision, length of hospital stay, and operative time. The former two were greater in the OD group ( p &lt; 0.01 and p = 0.05, respectively), and the latter was greater in the MED group ( p &lt; 0.01). Conclusion The few parameters that were found to be statistically significant between the groups did not affect the overall outcome. In the current series, the final clinical and neurological results were similarly satisfactory in both the OD and the MED groups.

Lumbar disc prolapse (LDP) is a significant cause of low back pain and radiculopathy. While both Microlumbar Discectomy (MLD) and Microendoscopic Discectomy (MED) are established minimally invasive treatments, comparative data for double-level LDP is limited. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of MED versus MLD for patients with double-level lumbar disc prolapse. This randomized controlled trial included 50 patients with double-level LDP who failed 8 weeks of conservative treatment, randomized equally into two groups: MED group (n = 25) who underwent tubular microendoscopic interlaminar discectomy and MLD group (n = 25) who underwent standard microlumbar discectomy. Patients were followed for one year postoperatively. Primary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain. Secondary outcomes encompassed Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), operative time, blood loss, wound length, hospital stay, return to work, and postoperative complications. Both MED and MLD significantly improved pain and disability. The MED group demonstrated statistically lower VAS scores for back pain at one month (2.1 ± 0.73 vs. 2.7 ± 0.84, p = 0.012), and consistently lower VAS scores for both back and leg pain at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Operative time was significantly longer for MED (103 ± 15.6 mins vs. 73 ± 14.9 mins, p < 0.001). However, MED was associated with significantly less blood loss (49.9 ± 10.1 mL vs. 87.2 ± 26.2 mL, p < 0.001), smaller wound length (2.3 ± 0.4 cm vs. 4.7 ± 0.5 cm, p < 0.001), shorter hospital stay (1.1 ± 0.61 days vs. 1.7 ± 0.58 days, p = 0.007), and earlier return to work (39.4 ± 7.24 days vs. 43.1 ± 3.6 days, p = 0.029). Both microendoscopic and microlumbar discectomy are effective and safe for double-level lumbar disc prolapse. Microendoscopic discectomy offers superior short-term pain relief, reduced invasiveness, shorter hospital stays, and earlier returns to work, despite a longer operative time. These benefits suggest MED as a favorable option for patients with double-level LDP

Interleukin-6 Protein Expression Is More Important Than Interleukin-6 mRNA Levels in Assessing Surgical Invasiveness

A retrospective review of data collected prospectively on 24 consecutive patients who underwent microendoscopic discectomy (MED) for far lateral lumbar disk herniation. To evaluate the level of surgical invasiveness of the procedure and clinical results with a follow-up of at least 2 years. To the best of our knowledge, there have only been 2 small-size and short-term clinical studies reporting the feasibility of MED for far lateral lumbar disk herniation, despite its relatively long history. Moreover, these 2 articles did not include detailed evaluations of surgical invasiveness and did not comprise any cases with disk herniation at L5-S1, which should account for a considerable proportion of cases. Twenty-four consecutive patients, including L5-S1 patients, who underwent MED for far lateral lumbar disk herniation participated in this study. Ninety-three consecutive patients with intracanalicular disk herniation, who underwent MED also participated as control subjects. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss, serum C-reactive protein and creatine kinase, visual analog scale, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association score were evaluated. The procedure was successfully performed in all cases. The operative time in patients with far lateral disk herniation (143.9 min) was significantly longer than in patients with intracanalicular disk herniation (90.2 min) (P<0.01). There were no differences between the groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss (39.6 and 40.4 mL, respectively), serum C-reactive protein level on postoperative day 3 (0.71 and 0.73 mg/dL), serum creatine kinase level on postoperative day 1 (161.8 and 225.7 IU/L), visual analog scale scores to assess surgical site pain on the first postoperative day (19.4 and 24.0 mm), or improvement rate in Japanese Orthopaedic Association score at final follow-up (76.0% and 77.0%). MED is a well-balanced technique which offers both reduced invasiveness and good clinical results without sacrificing reliability.

Eight Surgical Interventions for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Network Pooling Evaluation

ObjectiveTo assess the role of preoperative and postoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level on the prediction of pregnancy outcomes following ultrasound-indicated cerclage (UIC).MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records 44 women who underwent UIC between January 2011 and December 2011. UIC was performed between 14 and 24 weeks of gestation in women with short cervix. We divided UIC patients into two groups according to the gestational age at delivery (34 weeks) and compared the two groups. Group A was defined as patients who delivered ≥34 weeks of gestation, and group B as patients delivered <34 weeks. Correlation and receiver-operating characteristic curves were also analyzed for the prediction of preterm birth after UIC.ResultsThirty women delivered ≥34 weeks (group A) and 14 women delivered <34 weeks (group B). Pre- and post-cerclage CRP were significantly lower in group A (pre-cerclage CRP, 1.1±1.0 vs. 11.4±6.2 mg/dL, P<0.001; post-cerclage CRP, 0.6±0.5 vs. 7.4±7.2 mg/dL, P<0.001). The mean gestational age at delivery in group A was 37.7±1.8 weeks and that in group B was 26.9±4.3 weeks (P<0.001). There were significant negative correlations between pre- and post-cerclage CRP and latency from UIC to delivery (r=-0.82, P<0.001; r=-0.70, P<0.001, respectively).ConclusionBoth pre- and post-cerclage CRP were useful in predicting the preterm birth following UIC.

The Japan Orthopedic Association has led the way with endoscopic surgery for the spine and has developed its own training course and technical authorization system. Endoscopic surgery can be classified roughly as an anterior procedure from the pleural or peritoneal cavity or as a posterior procedure from the posterior interlaminar space in spine endoscopic surgeries. A representative technique of the endoscopic posterior spine surgery, which uses the posterior method, is microendoscopic discectomy (MED). While MED was initially utilized for lumbar herniotomy, it has recently been used for lumbar spinal canal stenosis and cervical spine disease. Therefore, all the posterior operative procedures are generally used with an MED system and they are referred to as MED. Thus, MED accounts for 98.7% of spine endoscopic operations performed in Japan (2006). There is little soft tissue damage with this approach and the lamina can be reached between the muscles for lumbar disc herniation. In the MED, radiographic control is indispensable for localization of the tube retractor, and it is necessary to resect the yellow ligament little by little to divide the superficial layer and the deep layer. MED is superior in visual safety for retraction of the nerve root to herniotomy. As for issues with MED, there is a substantial learning curve, the operation requires a long time, expensive instrumentation, there is the lack of haploscopic vision, the visual field to operate is limited, there is a tendency to become disoriented, and the lack of sensation of palpating an organ. Additional approaches include video-assisted thoracoscopic spine surgery (VATS) and endoscopic anterior lumbar spine surgery via the peritoneal or retroperitoneal cavity, but they do not lead to global operations.

Objective To investigate the roles of leptin, adiponectin and other inflammatory factors in the inflammatory reaction of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease induced by smoking through studying the effects of smoking cessation on the levels of serum leptin,adiponectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Methods Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into smoking group,smoking cessation group and control group,ten rats in each group. Rats in smoking group smoked ten cigarettes every time, twice per day, six days per week, 20 weeks in total. Rats in smoking cessation group stopped smoking for ten weeks after smoking for 20 weeks. Serum leptin, adiponectin, and CRP levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum IL-6 level was detected by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results ① Compared with control group [(128. 00 + 13. 25) ng/L],the serum leptin levels in smoking group [(56. 23±8. 64) ng/L] and smoking cessation group [(60. 36±7. 42) ng/L] were lower (all P <0. 05). There was no statistical significance between smoking cessation group and smoking group. ②Compared with control group [(0. 369 ±0. 032) μg/L],the serum adiponectin level in smoking group [(0. 322±0. 045) μg/L] decreased ( P <0. 05). There was no statistical significance between smoking cessation group[(0. 333 ± 0. 059) μg/L] and control group and smoking group. ③Compared with control group [(23. 94 + 4. 44) ng/L].the serum IL-6 levels in smoking group [(39. 67±3. 13) ng/L] and smoking cessation group [(34. 27±7. 01) ng/L] increased (all P < 0.05). The serum IL-6 level in smoking cessation group was lower than that in smoking group ( P < 0. 05). ④Compared with control group [(494. 49 ± 124.44) μg/L],the serum CRP levels in smoking group [(809. 50± 141. 66) μg/L] and smoking cessation group [(632. 60± 182. 85) μg/L] increased (all P <0. 05). The serum CRP level in smoking cessation group was lower than that in smoking group ( P < 0. 05). ⑤Adiponectin was negatively correlated with IL-6 (y= -0.198, P <0. 05) and CRP (γ = - 0.489, P<0. 05). IL-6 was positively correlated with CRP (γ = 0.598, P <0. 05). Conclusions Smoking can decrease serum leptin and adiponectin, increase the levels of IL-6 and CRP. After smoking cessation, the levels of leptin and adiponectin show a rising trend, the levels of IL-6 and CRP decrease correspondingly. In addition,adiponectin is negatively correlated with IL-6 and CRP. These results suggest that leptin,adiponectin and other inflammatory factors may be involved in inflammatory reaction of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease induced by smoking. Key words: Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases Smoking; Leptin; Adiponectin; Inflammatory reaction

Objectives: To compare microdiscectomy (MD) and endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (EID) as methods for the surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation, describing their efficiency in reducing hospitalization time, pain, and neurological deficit, and comparing the findings and the quality of studies that used the microscopic and endoscopic techniques. Methods: A systematic literature review that used the PRISMA protocol as a methodology. The search was conducted in the PUBMED/MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library databases, using publications from the last 5 years in Portuguese and English. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and validating the qualified studies via STROBE and CONSORT, there were a total of 16 studies for data compilation. Results: A sample of 1004 patients who underwent lumbar discectomy was obtained, 62% of whom were male, and 493 of whom underwent EID (49%) and 511 MD (51%). The mean patient age was 38.7 years and the predominant vertebral level operated was L5-S1 (64.8%). The EID had shorter surgical time (66.38 min) and hospitalization time (3.3 days), in addition to greater variation in the VAS LLLL score (5.38), while the MD presented greater variation in the VAS LUMBAR score (3.14). Conclusion: EID demonstrated efficacy like that of MD, given the similarity in the results obtained, in addition to non-inferiority in the reduction of pain and neurological deficit, and superiority in surgical and hospitalization times. Level of Evidence I; Systematic review .

Study Design: Retrospective study Objectives: To compare the surgical results of microendoscopic discectomy using a tubular retractor with those of a conventional discectomy for lumbar herniated nucleus pulposus. Summary of Literature Review: Minimally invasive approaches to the lumbar spine have been attempted with success over the past 25 years. Materials and Methods: This study examined 36 cases who underwent lumbar discectomy using a tubular retractor and microendoscopy (Group A) and 30 cases who underwent a conventional discectomy (Group B). The operating time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay were recorded. The clinical results were assessed using the Korea Version Oswestry Disability Index (KODI), and the radiological results were evaluated from changes in disc height. Results: The patients in Group A had a longer operation time(mean, 95.56±23.57 minutes vs 81.17±35.30 minutes, p=0.062), less intraoperative blood loss (mean, 58.61±97.08 cc vs 161.00±88.64 cc, p=0.001) and a shorter hospitalization stay (mean, 8.22 ±4.99 days vs 17.33±10.98 days, p=0.001) than group B. There was significant improvement in the mean KODI score for Group A; 6.36±7.18 and Group B; 5.97±5.14. However, there was no significant difference in the pain improvement (mean, 1.14 ±1.15 vs 1.30±1.06, p=0.559) and walking index (mean, 0.25±0.44 vs 0.30±0.47, p=0.656). In terms of social life, Group A had better results (mean, 0.20±0.48 vs 0.67±1.01, p=0.018). The disc height according to radiography decreased from 8.44±1.98 mm to 7.40±1.59 mm in Group A and 9.07±1.93 mm to 7.67±1.90 mm in Group B, but there were no statistical differences in the changes in disc height between the two groups (p=0.143). Conclusion: Microendoscopic discectomy is an effective procedure with good outcomes in treating lumbar disc herniation that allows less tissue trauma, compared with conventional open discectomy.

Background/Objectives: The treatment for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is surgical discectomy. This surgery may enhance spinal instability and exacerbate disc degeneration. The most common treatment options include microdiscectomy (MD), interspinous process device (IPD) implantation, and percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD). As few studies have compared these three procedures, this study focused on collecting data on the clinical, functional, and imaging outcomes of surgery for symptomatic LDH. Methods: This is a retrospective, transverse, and analytical study, with a total of 383 patients who received operations for symptomatic LDH between 2018 and 2022. Medical information from the charts of these patients was collected. The results were followed up on for a minimum of one year by collecting responses from several questionnaires and clinical data, including patients' scores on the visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and symptomatic improvement score (SIS), as well as wound size, blood loss, hospital stay, postoperative disc change, and complications. Results: At the end of data collection, the VAS and ODI scores all showed significant improvement following these three procedures (p < 0.01). The SISs were all ranked as good (8.1, 8.5, and 7.9) post-surgery. PELD was a minimally invasive procedure that resulted in the smallest wound size (0.82 cm), minimal blood loss (21 mL), and a short hospital stay (4.2 days). A substantial pre-/postoperative change in disc height was noted in the MD (-17%) and PELD (-15%) groups. The complication rates were similar among the three groups (3%, 5%, and 5.6%). Conclusions: IPD implantation and PELD yielded outcomes comparable to those of conventional MD for symptomatic relief and functional recovery. Although the complication rates were similar, the postoperative complications were quite different from those of the other procedures. PELD resulted in rapid recovery and minimal invasion, and IPD implantation showed a good ability to preserve disc height and spinal stability; however, the clinical relevance of these findings in disc degeneration remains controversial.

Preoperative C-reactive protein levels are associated with tumor size and lymphovascular invasion in resected non-small cell lung cancer

Postoperative delirium (POD) is very common in the elderly surgical population, and its occurrence is associated with multiple factors such as preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors, and the increase of serum inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) is considered to be associated with the occurrence of POD, but the results of multiple studies are inconsistent. In this study, we investigated the correlation between inflammatory markers CRP and IL-6 and POD in elderly patients by literature search and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane library, Embase, Ovid, and Springer Link for cohort studies or case-control studies that investigated the factors involved in the occurrence of POD, used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess the quality of the selected literature, and combined the differences in serum CRP and IL-6 levels between POD and non-POD patients after surgery to evaluate the predictive value of CRP and IL-6 for the occurrence of POD. This research comprised 16 papers for quantitative analysis, with a total of 2967 patients, 758 with POD and 2209 with non-POD. There were 16 cohort studies (100%) and 0 case-control studies (0%) across all the collected literatures; there were 15 prospective cohort studies and 1 retrospective cohort research. A meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in serum IL-6 levels between POD patients after surgery and non-POD patients [MD = 115.68, 95% CI (25.70, 206.66), Z = 2.52, P = 0.012], as well as a statistically significant difference in serum CRP levels [MD = 27.67, 95% CI (12.77, 42.58), Z = 3.64, P = 0.0003]. Discussion. Early after surgery, serum IL-6 and CRP levels were considerably higher in POD patients than in non-POD patients, indicating that early serum inflammatory variables are likely to be predictors of POD. After surgery, the levels of the aforementioned inflammatory factors should be actively monitored to forecast the emergence of delirium, and active treatment should be used to limit the creation and release of the aforementioned inflammatory factors.