Full-Endoscopic Isolation Zone Technique for the Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation
Summary
Here, we present a protocol for the "isolation zone" technique in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) under full-endoscopic spine surgery (FESS), including intervertebral foramen formation, targeted catheterization, nucleus pulposus resection, and annulus fibrosus formation, which together completely block the pain from the nerve conduction pathway.
Abstract
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a type of serious sinus or sciatic nerve dysfunction caused by nucleus pulposus protrusion and annulus fibrosus tears. Its clinical symptoms often include severe low back pain, limited lumbar movement, sciatic nerve pain in the lower limbs, and even cauda equina syndrome. The common treatment for LDH is a conservative treatment scheme involving medicine, rest, and physical therapy. However, if the conservative treatment scheme is ineffective, a surgical treatment approach is adopted. Traditional open lumbar surgery has some disadvantages, including the potential for severe surgical trauma, severe blood loss during the operation, instability of the lumbar spine, and loss of the lumbar motor unit. Among the minimally invasive surgical schemes, full-endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) is undoubtedly the most appropriate and has the advantages of minimal trauma, high safety, quick postoperative recovery, and the retention of the stable structure and the motor unit of the lumbar spine. However, simultaneously, incomplete removal of the nucleus pulposus and residual nerve dysfunction after surgery can occur. To avoid these shortcomings, we studied a specific spinal endoscopy technique, the “isolation zone” surgical strategy, which can effectively block the pain from the nerve conduction pathway by completely relieving the nerve compression and nerve dysfunction through the orderly treatment of the protruding nucleus pulposus, the fissure of the annulus fibrosus, the sinus nerve, and the surrounding inflammatory soft tissues.
Introduction
LDH is a common degenerative disease of the spine. LDH is accompanied by multifactorial changes, such as degeneration of the intervertebral disc and the surrounding structures. The interaction between multifactorial degeneration and the nervous system causes pain1. The pain of this disease manifests as low back pain and leg pain, and sometimes LDH can be related to an inability to maintain the same posture or sensory-motor disorder of the lower limbs2. The severe clinical symptoms of LDH bring great pain to the patients and represent a serious medical and social problem3,4. For patients with obvious herniated intervertebral discs or a torn annulus fibrosus, traditional conservative treatments, including drug therapy, physical therapy, and rest, cannot effectively solve their problem5. Lumbar fusion surgery is usually used to treat patients with LDH for whom conservative treatment is ineffective6. However, this surgery has a high economic cost and causes large surgical trauma and destruction of the stable structure of the spine; additionally, the postoperative improvement in low back pain, sensory-motor disturbance of the lower limbs, and lumbar motion function, etc., is sometimes unsatisfactory7. The development of FESS has not only improved the curative effects of lumbar surgery but also reduced the cost and risk of surgery8,9. However, if the nucleus pulposus is not completely removed during endoscopic surgery and the treatment of the pain-inducing factors is not comprehensive, the patient will have low back pain, dysesthesia in the lower extremities, and other adverse reactions after surgery10,11,12,13.
To avoid inadequate removal of the nucleus pulposus during endoscopic surgery and the inadequate relief of postoperative neurological dysfunction, our research team applied a modified spinal endoscopic "isolation zone" technique. The "isolation zone" technology aims to block the pain transmission pathway of the sinus vertebra nerve and sciatic nerve by removing the herniated intervertebral disc, ruptured annulus fibrosus, and hyperplastic inflammatory tissue. In addition, pathogenic inflammatory mediators on the surface of the disc and intraspinal canal are removed13. The "isolation zone" technique can fully decompress the unilateral compressed spinal nerves. This technical strategy is more minimally invasive and effective than traditional surgical methods.
Protocol
Representative Results
Discussion
LDH is a degenerative disease of the spine that seriously affects daily life and work. The main clinical manifestations are low back pain and sciatic nerve pain. Extreme waist movements, fixed posture, and physical labor can aggravate the symptoms4,15. If conservative treatment cannot alleviate the clinical symptoms, minimally invasive methods are used to treat patients with LDH. Momenzadeh et al. used percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) to treat 30 pati…
Disclosures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
None.
Materials
| 18 G puncture needle | tong lu | KB401.061 | |
| 3.7 mm spinal endoscope | joimax | FS6342181C | |
| 4-0 nonabsorbent surgical suture | Johnson & Johnson | WB761 | |
| 7.5 mm working channel | maxmore | 1001-ES04 | |
| Bone drill | maxmore | 1001-BD(001-005) | 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm diameter |
| C-arm X-ray machine | GE | OEC one | |
| Catheters | maxmore | 1001-DC 001 | |
| Expansion guide rod | maxmore | 1001-DC 002 | |
| Flexible bipolar radiofrequency | tian song | G8002.2 | |
| Guide wire | maxmore | 1001-GW 003 | 1mm diameter |
| Nucleus pulposus forceps | maxmore | 1001-EF 001 003 | 0°and 15° |
| Tom Shidi locator | maxmore | 1001-TS 001 |
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