Percutaneous Cervical Discectomy Research Articles

Anterior percutaneous full-endoscopic transcorporeal decompression for cervical disc herniation: a finite element analysis and long-term follow-up study

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term consequences on the cervical spine after Anterior transcorporeal percutaneous endoscopy cervical discectomy (ATc-PECD) from the biomechanical standpoint.MethodsA three-dimensional model of the normal cervical spine C2-T1 was established using finite element method. Subsequently, a disc degeneration model and degeneration with surgery model were constructed on the basis of the normal model. The same loading conditions were applied to simulate flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation of the cervical spine. We calculated the cervical range of motion (ROM), intradiscal pressure, and intravertebral body pressure under different motions for observing changes in cervical spine biomechanics after surgery. At the same time, we combined the results of a long-term follow-up of the ATc-PECD, and used imaging methods to measure vertebral and disc height and cervical mobility, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and visual analog scale (VAS) score were used to assess pain relief and neurological functional recovery.ResultsThe long-term follow-up results revealed that preoperative JOA score, neck VAS score, hand VAS score, IDH, VBH, and ROM for patients were 9.49 ± 2.16, 6.34 ± 1.68, 5.14 ± 1.48, 5.95 ± 0.22 mm, 15.41 ± 1.68 mm, and 52.46 ± 9.36° respectively. It changed to 15.71 ± 1.13 (P < 0.05), 1.02 ± 0.82 (P < 0.05), 0.77 ± 0.76 (P < 0.05), 4.73 ± 0.26 mm (P < 0.05), 13.67 ± 1.48 mm (P < 0.05), and 59.26 ± 6.72° (P < 0.05), respectively, at 6 years postoperatively. Finite element analysis showed that after establishing the cervical spondylosis model, the overall motion range for flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation decreased by 3.298°, 0.753°, 3.852°, and 1.131° respectively. Conversely, after establishing the bone tunnel model, the motion range for these actions increased by 0.843°, 0.65°, 0.278°, and 0.488° respectively, consistent with the follow-up results. Moreover, analysis of segmental motion changes revealed that the increased cervical spine mobility was primarily contributed by the surgical model segments. Additionally, the finite element model demonstrated that bone tunneling could lead to increased stress within the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs of the surgical segments.ConclusionsLong-term follow-up studies have shown that ATc-PECD has good clinical efficacy and that ATc-PECD can be used as a complementary method for CDH treatment. The FEM demonstrated that ATc-PECD can lead to increased internal stresses in the vertebral body and intervertebral discs of the operated segments, which is directly related to cervical spine degeneration after ATc-PECD.

Feasibility study of ultrasound-guided percutaneous laser discectomy for cervical radicular pain

Percutaneous laser discectomy is one common and effective treatment for cervical radicular pain. Currently, the surgery is performed with blind cannulation technique, mainly relies on the experience of surgeon. However, it still remains unsafe and difficult to reach the target. As an alternative, ultrasound-guided cannulation provides visualization of important structures, thus increasing the precision and safety. The primary goal of this study is to report the detail of the ultrasound-guided technique in the percutaneous laser cervical discectomy. The secondary purpose is to evaluate the feasibility of the novel therapy. This is a single center, feasibility study conducted in one teaching hospital. Thirteen intervertebral discs in 9 patients presented with cervical radicular pain. Accuracy of the cannulation with ultrasonic guidance was confirmed by the anterior–posterior and lateral view of fluoroscopy. We compared the pain severity pre- and post-treatment with Visual Analogue Score (VAS), and functional improvement was assessed with the modified Macnab Criteria and Neck Disability Index (NDI) respectively. Ultrasonic short-axis was used to scan the cervical nerve root, and its transition was used to identify the distinct intervertebral space. Following the recognition of targeted cervical level, the ultrasound probe was moved medially for the visualization of the surface of the cervical vertebrae. In plane cannulation was then applied to avoid the injury of the vessels. The location of cannula was confirmed by the fluoroscopic imaging. Low-power laser was set for the cervical disc ablation in this cohort. The majority of the surgical sites maintained in the C5/6 level (38%), and 31% for the C6/7 level respectively. Despite the distinct cervical level, the tip of needle was properly placed near by the targeted intervertebral disc in all participants, which was confirmed by the imaging of fluoroscopy. We did not observe any obvious complications during the procedure. The mean VAS decreased from 7.6 ± 1.1 to 2.3 ± 2.7 one month after discharge, and 2.1 ± 2.6 at the last follow-up (median duration of nine months). All patients reported significant improvement of NDI up to last follow-up (p = 0.011). Meanwhile, the good to excellent rate was reported in 8 of 9 patients (89%) according to the modified Macnab Criteria. The finding of this feasibility assessment indicates the ultrasound-based cannulation technique is capable of guiding the cannulation for the percutaneous laser discectomy. It may facilitate identifying the corresponding site of cervical intervertebral disc and prevent the damage of vessel.

Comparative evaluation of posterior percutaneous endoscopy cervical discectomy using a 3.7\u2009mm endoscope and a 6.9\u2009mm endoscope for cervical disc herniation: a retrospective comparative cohort study

BackgroundPosterior percutaneous endoscopy cervical discectomy (p-PECD) is an effective strategy for the treatment of cervical diseases, with a working cannula ranging from 3.7 mm to 6.9 mm in diameter. However, to date, no studies have been performed to compare the clinical outcomes of the use of endoscopes with different diameters in cervical disc herniation (CDH) patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with unilateral CDH treated with p-PECD using a 3.7 mm endoscope and a 6.9 mm endoscope.MethodsFrom January 2016 to June 2018, a total of 28 consecutive patients with single-level CDH who received p-PECD using either the 3.7 mm or the 6.9 mm endoscope were enrolled. The clinical results, including the surgical duration, hospitalization, visual analog scale (VAS) score and modified MacNab criteria, were evaluated. Cervical fluoroscopy, CT, and MRI were also performed during follow-up.ResultsTthere was a significant difference in regard to the average identification time of the “V” point (18.608 ± 3.7607 min vs. 11.256 ± 2.7161 min, p < 0.001) and the mean removal time of the overlying tissue (16.650 ± 4.1730 min vs. 12.712 ± 3.3079 min, p < 0.05) for the use of the 3.7 mm endoscope and the 6.9 mm endoscope, respectively. The postoperative VAS and MacNab scores of the two endoscopes were significantly improved compared with those the preoperative scores (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe application of both the 3.7 mm endoscope and 6.9 mm endoscope represent an effective method for the treatment of CDH in selected patients, and no significant difference can be observed in the clinical outcomes of the endoscopes. The 6.9 mm endoscope shows superiority to the 3.7 mm endoscope in terms of the efficiency of “V” point identification, the removal of overlying soft tissue and the prevention of spinal cord injury. However, the 6.9 mm endoscope may be inferior to the 3.7 mm endoscope in regards to anterior foraminal decompression due to its large diameter; this result needs to be further evaluated with the support of a large number of randomized controlled trials.

The indication selection of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy for cervical intervertebral disc herniation

Objective To reduce the risk of cervical spinal cord injury, the most medial point of the cervical intervertebral disc that the posterior percutaneous endoscopic sheath could reach was evaluated. And that could help to determine the indication of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy for cervical intervertebral disc herniation. Methods Cervical MRI images for 50 randomly selected patients, 21 males and 29 females with ages from 20 to 60(average 33.5±10.03 years), were analysed. All 50 patients underwent MRI examination at our institution between January 2014 and December 2017. As 50% of the zygapophyseal joint was preserved, on the cross-section T2-weighted MRI images, when the sheath just touched the spinal cord, the intersection point of the medial wall of sheath and cervical spinal cord (Point L) was the most medial point of the posterior percutaneous endoscopy could get. The distance between Point L and the line through and tangent to the most lateral point of cervical disc border was the length of the line section DL. The distance between the middle sagittal line of the cervical disc and the line through and tangent to the most lateral point of cervical disc border was the length of the line section D. DL/D was the most medial distance ratio of the posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy when 50% of the lateral zygapophyseal joint was preserved. In the same way, D’L/D was the most medial distance ratio of the posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy when 75% of the lateral zygapophyseal joint was preserved. Results When 50% of the lateral zygapophyseal joint was preserved, the upper limit of 95% confidence intervals of the most medial distance ratio that the posterior percutaneous endoscopy could get were 78%, 76%, 81%, 93% in C3, 4, C4, 5, C5, 6, C6, 7 respectively. This meant that the most medial distance the posterior percutaneous endoscopy could get were the 78%, 76%, 81%, 0.93% of the length of the line section D in C3, 4, C4, 5, C5, 6, C6, 7 respectively. The most medial distance the posterior percutaneous endoscopy could get in C5, 6 or C6, 7 was longer than that in C3, 4, C4, 5. Conclusion When 50% of the lateral zygapophyseal joint was preserved, the upper limit of the most medial distance ratio that the posterior percutaneous endoscopy should get were 78%, 76%, 81%, 93% in C3, 4, C4, 5, C5, 6, C6, 7 respectively. This meant that the most medial distance the posterior percutaneous endoscopy could get were the 78%, 76%, 81%, 93% of the length of line section D in C3, 4, C4, 5, C5, 6, C6, 7 respectively. If the resected disc was beyond this range, the cervical spinal cord should be in the risk of being injured. Key words: Cervical vertebrae; Intervertebral disc displacement; Endoscopy; Surgical procedures, minimally invasive

Clinical outcomes of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy for single level cervical spondylotic radiculopathy

Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes using posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PECD) for single level cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). Methods From October 2015 to June 2016, 33 patients (23 men, 10 women, mean age 54.0 years, range from 30 to 85 years) who had single level CSR were treated by PECD, and the medical records were reviewed. All patients were followed up for an average of 13.5±4.6 months (range from 12 to 22 months). The operation related parameters (operation time, estimated blood loss, length of hospitalization, complications) and clinical parameters, including neck visual analog scale (Neck-VAS), arm visual analog scale (Arm-VAS), neck disability index (NDI) and the modified Macnab criteria were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively and last follow-up. Disc height, shell angle, C2-C7 Cobb angle and range of motion were recorded preoperatively and at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and last follow-up postoperatively. Results The mean operation time was 76.4±26.6 minutes (range from 40 to 120 minutes), the mean estimated blood loss was 30.2±15.6 ml (range from 20 to 80 ml), and the mean length of hospitalization was 3.5±1.1 days (range from 2 to 8 days). There was significant decrease at different time points postoperatively in Neck-VAS, Arm-VAS, and NDI when compared with preoperatively (P 0.05). One patient turned into traditional ACDF procedure because of hemorrhage limiting the vision during PECD operation. Upper extremity numbness and pain deteriorated in one case after a PECD procedure and was revised with ACDF at last. No other complications, like spinal cord injury, cervical root injury, cerebral spinal fluid leakage, infection as well as recurrence were found. Conclusion PECD, which can maintain normal cervical range of motion and intervertebral disc height, is a minimally invasive and essential procedure for CSR treatment with minor trauma, excellent outcome and quick recovery. Surgeon's experience, however, is needed in case of turning into open surgery for good outcome. Key words: Cervical vertebrae; Intervertebral disc displacement; Endoscopy; Surgical procedures, minimally invasive

ANTERIOR PERCUTANEOUS CERVICAL DISCECTOMY. TWO-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF A BLUNT TECHNIQUE PROCEDURE

ABSTRACT Objective: To report the outcomes of non-endoscopic percutaneous cervical discectomy by anterior blunt approach for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. Methods: A review of the medical records of patients with axial cervical pain resulting from degenerative disc disease and treated with discectomy and percutaneous nucleoplasty by anterior blunt approach with radiofrequency source was carried out. The data were evaluated according to modified MacNab and pre- and postoperative VAS criteria at 3, 12 and 24 months. Results: Sixty-two procedures were performed in 48 patients between 2008 and 2014. The mean age of the population was 52.4 years. MacNab results were 84.6%, 92.3%, and 89.2% improvement (excellent and good results) at 3, 12 and 24 months, respectively. The VAS changed from 7.4 to 2.3 two years after the procedure, showing a statistically significant difference (p=0.000). There were no major complications or re-interventions related to the technique. Conclusions: Anterior non-endoscopic discectomy and nucleoplasty for the treatment of discogenic axial cervical pain may be an effective alternative to open surgery. In the two-year follow-up, our blunt technique proved to be a safe procedure with no approach-related complications, and provided outcomes comparable to those reported using the original needle technique.

Retrospective evaluation of efficiency and safety of an anterior percutaneous approach for cervical discectomy.

Study DesignRetrospective case series.PurposeThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficiency and complication rate of a percutaneous anterior approach to herniated cervical disks with or without concomitant foraminal stenosis and/or spondylosis.Overview of LiteratureRecent publications reflect that minimally invasive procedures gain in importance in patients and spine surgeons as they are generally associated with less tissue damage and shorter recovery times. However, for anterior percutaneous cervical discectomy, very little data is available for relevant patient populations.MethodsCharts from patients with herniated cervical disc confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, mainly radicular symptoms and irresponsive to conservative treatment who underwent anterior percutaneous discectomy were evaluated retrospectively. All patients were asked to return questionnaires that included visual analogue scores (VAS), MacNab score as well as subjective satisfaction data 2 years after surgery.ResultsNinety-five patients were included. There were no neurological or vascular complications; only one patient suffered from transient hoarseness. During the two years after surgery, 9 patients underwent reoperation. 90.5% of the patients returned the questionnaire at 2 years' follow-up. 87.7% of them reported excellent or good outcome, 11.1% rated results as fair and 1.2% as unsatisfactory. On average, arm and neck pain improved significantly by 6.1 points and 5.8 points respectively on a ten point VAS. 94.5% stated that they would choose the same procedure again.ConclusionsThis procedure has proved a safe and sufficient option for symptomatic cervical disk herniations with or without concomitant spondylosis and/or foraminal stenosis.

Treatment of cervical disc herniation through percutaneous minimally invasive techniques.

The goal of this study is to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of percutaneous cervical discectomy, percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty, and a combination of the two for the treatment of cervical disc herniation and the effective stabilization of the cervical vertebral column. A retrospective study was performed from February 2003 to April 2011. One hundred and seventy-one cervical disc herniation patients with a mean age of 47.8years (ranging from 21 to 74years) participated in the study and were treated with the three types of percutaneous minimally invasive techniques: percutaneous cervical discectomy (PCD, 97 cases), percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty (PCN, 50 cases), and a combination of the two (PCDN, 24 cases). After treatment, the postoperative clinical results and the stability of the cervical vertebral columns of these three groups were evaluated and compared. Patients in the PCD group received follow-up care for approximately 4.1years (ranging from 0.2 to 8.5years), while those in the PCN group received only an average of 2.6years (ranging from 0.3 to 7.8years), and the PCDN group received an average of 3.3years (ranging from 0.2 to 8years of follow-up). According to the Japanese Orthopedic Association scoring system, the functional scores (JOA scores) differed significantly between the pre- and postoperative patients within the three groups (PCD t=21.849, P=<0.05; PCN t=14.503, P<0.05; PCDN t=8.555, P<0.05). All patients had been successfully operated on by the same spinal surgeon team. According to the Odom criterion, the clinical outcomes were not significantly different for any of the three groups (the recovery rate using the JOA standard evaluation, F=2.19, P=0.116, P>0.05). The percentages of each procedure that received either an excellent or a good rating were PCD at 81.35%, PCN at 82.44% and PCDN at 83.19%. In addition, the clinical success rates among the three were not significantly different (P>0.05). Notably, there was no postoperative instability of the cervical vertebral column in any of the patients (P>0.05), and there was no difference in the pre- or postoperative stability of the cervical vertebral columns in each group. Each group achieved good clinical outcomes with this safe, minimally invasive spinal surgery for the treatment of cervical disc herniation. In addition, no postoperative risk of cervical instability was found.

Clinical application of anterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy

Objective To evaluate the safety,feasibility,and clinical outcome of anterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PECD).Methods The study involved 28 patients undergone PECD.Visual analogue scale (VAS) and MacNab scale were recorded before operation and at 3 days,1,3,6,12 and 18 months after operation.In addition,MRI examination was conducted at postoperative l month,3 months and 12 months.After data collection,single-factor T test with SAS software was performed.Results Follow-up (range,18-24 months,mean 19 months) was achieved in 25 patients.When compared to the preoperative score,VAS and MacNab scale presented improvement at postoperative 3 days (P ＞ 0.05) and great improvement at postoperative 1,3,6,12,18 and 24 months (P ＜ 0.01).VAS and MacNab scale at postoperative 3 days presented statistical differences as compared to those at postoperative 3,6,12 and 18 months (P ＜0.05),but the differences were not statistically insignificant at postoperative 3,6,12,and 18 months (P ＞ 0.05).Moreover,VAS and MacNab scale showed significant improvement at postoperative 24 months as compared to those before operation (P ＜0.01) and those at postoperative day 3 (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Anterior PECD is effective in treatment of cervical soft or partial hard disc herniation. Key words: Spinal injuries ; Cervical vertebrae ; Intervertebral disk ; Percutanous endoscopic cervical discectomy

Percutaneous minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of cervical disc herniation

Objective To compare the therapeutic effects of percutaneous cervical discectomy (PCD group),percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty(PCN) and the association of them (PCDN) for the treatment of cervical intervertebral disk displacement and instability of cervical vertebral column.Methods From February 2003 to April 2011,171 consecutive patients with cervical disc herniation have presented at the authors' hospital and were retrospectively studied.The average age of patients was 47.8 years (ranged,21-74).Ninety-seven cases were treated with PCD,50 cases with PCN,and the other 24 cases with PCDN.Clinical result and the stability of cervical vertebral column after operation were evaluated and compared among the 3 groups.Results All cases had been followed up for a median of 4.1 years.There was significant difference in the pre- and post-operation the Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA) scoring system on within 3groups (PCD:t=21.85,P＜0.05; PCN:t=14.50,P＜0.05; PCDN:t=8.56,P＜0.05).All cases had been successfully operated.There was no significant difference between groups among the 3 groups in terms of the clinical outcomes(The recovery rate of JOA standard evaluation,F=2.19,P=0.12).According to Odom criteria,the excellent and good rate are as follows:81.35％ in PCD,82.44％ in PCN,83.19％ in PCDN,respectively.There was no significant difference between groups among the 3 groups in terms of the clinical success rate (P＞0.05).There was no instability of cervical vertebral column cases in 3 groups after operation (P＞0.05),and no significant difference was found in terms of cervical vertebral column stability in pre- and post-operation in each group.Conclusion All the three operations including PCN,PCD and PCDN are safe,minimally invasive spine surgery for the treatment of cervical intervertebral disk displacement; they achieve good clinical outcomes and there are no difference on the stability of cervical vertebral column between preoperation and postoperation. Key words: Cervical vertebrae; Intervertebral disk displacement; Diskectomy, percutaneous

Percutaneous discectomy and drainage for postoperative intervertebral discitis

Postoperative intervertebral discitis occurs following spinal surgery. This study was done to evaluate the effect of percutaneous discectomy and drainage (PDD) for postoperative intervertebral discitis. A retrospective study of postoperative intervertebral discitis treated by PDD procedures was conducted from January 1997 to June 2006. There were 34 patients (24 males, 10 females); 10 cases of after lumbar discectomy (L3-4 in 3 patients, L4-5 in 7 patients), 21 cases of after percutaneous lumbar discectomy (L3-4 in 7 patients, L4-5 in 14 patient), 2 cases of after percutaneous cervical discectomy (C5-6 in 1 patient, C6-7 in 1 patient), and 1 case of C5-6 after percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty. All patients tolerated the procedure well and there were 31 cases had followed up. VAS scores demonstrated statistically significant improvement after PDD when compared with preoperational values (P < 0.01). Elevated CRP and ESR values returned to normal range within 3-8 weeks. CRP and ESR values demonstrated statistically significant improvement after PDD when compared with preoperative values (P < 0.01). Biopsies of the disc were performed in all patients and pus was seen in 17 patients at the pathology levels. Inflammatory cells were observed nine cases (4 cases showed infiltration of lymphocytes and plasmacytes, 5 cases showed infiltrate of polymorphonuclear leucocytes). Cultures of disc and bone tissue showed 17 cases of sterile and 14 had positive culture. Spine X-rays films showed narrowed disc space in 29 cases, and bridging osteophytes were noted in 19 patients. Destructive and sclerotic changes of vertebral bodies with narrowing of disc spaces were observed in 14 patients. The results show that PDD is a minimally invasive procedure for obtaining sufficient biopsy material for histological analysis and culture in cases of discitis, and has a good clinical outcome recommended for patients with early stage postoperative intervertebral discitis without neurologic deficit.

Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty and percutaneous cervical discectomy treatments of the contained cervical disc herniation

There were no studies in literature to compare the clinical outcomes of percutaneous nucleoplasty (PCN) and percutaneous cervical discectomy (PCD) in contained cervical disc herniation. A retrospective of patients with symptomatic contained cervical disc herniated were operated on with PCN and PCD from June 2003 to July 2005. Two-hundred and four patients initially fulfilled the study criteria, and 28 patients were lost in follow-up. The patients were categorized into different groups depending on the procedure by PCN (81 cases) or PCD (95 cases). The clinical outcomes, pain reduction, and segment stability were recorded during this study. Puncture of the needle into the disc space was accurately performed under C-arm fluoroscopy guidance in all cases and no intraoperative deaths were reported in our study. At the end, 176 cases had follow-up and 28 cases were lost, and the follow-up rate was 88.0% (81/92) in the PCN group and 84.8% (95/112) in the PCD group. The follow-up time ranged from 16 to 48 months (average 29 months), and on an average of 28.86 ± 4.52 months on PCN and 8.42 ± 3.21 months on PCD (t = -0.24, P = 0.81, >0.05). The operation time averages of PCN and PCD are 4.67 ± 1.16 and 11.95 ± 1.80, respectively (P < 0.01). The pain index improved from 7.12 ± 1.13 to 2.74 ± 0.89 (t = 27.03, P = 0.0000, <0.001) in PCN patients and from 7.18 ± 1.09 to 2.71 ± 0.91 (t = 29.57, P = 0.0000, <0.001) in PCD patients. Clinical results of PCN were excellent in 31 cases, good 32 cases, fair 13 cases, and poor 5 cases; for PCD, the results were 33, 42, 12, and 7 cases, respectively, and 1 in discitis. Good and excellent was 78.4% (77.8% in PCN and 79.5% in PCD, P > 0.05). There was one case of PCN that had the partial Perc-D SpineWand broken in the disc space, cannot be moved by the percutaneous cervical discectomy, and remained there itself. One of the cases had discitis in this study after PCD. Patient presented with neck pain and associated radicular pain and numbness in the left upper-limb after 8 days of PCD. There were no instable cases after procedures of PCN and PCD. There were no significant difference in stability of preoperatively and postoperatively between PCN and PCD (P > 0.05). PCN and PCD treatments of contained cervical disc herniation show good outcomes and there was no difference in the stability of cervical spine. PCN and PCD are safe, minimally invasive, and no differences were observed between the methods in clinical outcome.

Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty in the treatment of cervical disc herniation

Percutaneous disc decompression procedures have been performed in the past. Various percutaneous techniques such as percutaneous discectomy, laser discectomy, and nucleoplasty have been successful. Our prospective study was directly to evaluate the results of percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) surgery for cervical disc herniation, and illustrate the effectiveness of PCN in symptomatic patients who had cervical herniated discs. From July of 2002 to June of 2005, 126 consecutive patients with contained cervical disc herniations have presented at the authors' clinic and treated by PCN. The patients' gender distribution for PCN was 65 male, 61 female. The age of patients ranged from 34 to 66 years (mean 51.9 +/- 10.2 years). The levels of involvement were 21 cases at C3-4, 30 cases at C4-5, 40 cases at C5-6, and 35 cases at C6-7. The clinical outcomes, pain reduction and the segment stability were all recorded during this study. A clinical outcome was quantified by the Macnab standard and using VAS. The angular displacement (AD) > or =11 degrees or horizontal displacement (HD) > or =3 mm was considered to be radiographically unstable. In the results of this study, puncture of the needle into the disc space was accurately performed under X-ray guidance in all cases. There was one case where the Perc-D Spine Wand had broken in the disc space during the procedure. The partial Perc-D Spine Wand, which had broken in the disc space could not be removed by the percutaneous cervical discectomy and thus remained there. There were no recurrent cases or complications in our series. Macnab standard results were excellent in 62 cases, good in 41 cases and fair in 23 cases. The rate of excellent and good was 83.73%. The VAS scores demonstrated statistically significant improvement in PCN at the 2-week, 1, 3, 6, and 12-month follow-up visits when compared to preoperational values (P < 0.01). There were no cases of instability following the PCN procedure. There was no significant difference in stability either preoperatively or postoperatively (P > 0.05). Our findings confirm that PCN for the treatment of cervical disc herniation results in a good outcome without any tampering of the stability of the cervical spine. Hence, PCN as a procedure is safe, minimally invasive, less traumatic, requiring less time with an excellent clinical outcome. PCN should be performed for those patients who fail conservative medical management including medication, physical therapy, behavioral management, psychotherapy, and who are unwilling to undergo a more invasive technique such as spinal surgery.

Factors predicting excellent outcome of percutaneous cervical discectomy: analysis of 111 consecutive cases.

Percutaneous cervical discectomy (PCD) has been developed as an effective treatment option for soft cervical disc herniation. However, no prognostic study of this procedure has yet been made. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcome of PCD and to determine the factors predicting excellent outcome. A retrospective review was performed of 111 consecutive patients who underwent PCD with a mean follow-up period of 49.4 months (range, 29-64 months). Under local anesthesia, a percutaneous anterior approach was followed by discectomy with microforceps and endoscopic Ho:YAG laser. The surgical outcomes of the 111 patients based on the Macnab criteria were excellent in 52 patients (46.9%), good in 37 (33.3%), fair in 9 (8.1%), and poor in 13 (11.7%), thereby indicating a symptomatic improvement in 88.3% of the patients. In this study, the two major factors predicting an excellent long-term outcome were the symptom of radiating arm pain (P = 0.02) and the location of lateral disc herniation (P < 0.02). Proper patient selection remains critical for the success of this minimally invasive procedure.

Percutaneous cervical disecectomy for treating cervical disc herniation—a report of 12 cases

12 cases of percutaneous cervical discectomy (PCD) were performed using a set of nucleotome system. 9 patients showed good to excellent results in 12 cases, without any significant complications. The safe space of percutaneous puncture was suggested, e. g., the space between the carotid vessels and trachea. The procedures of PCD were introduced. The indications and contraindications of PCD and its mechanism, efficacy and prevention of complications were discussed.

Clinical Experience with Percutaneous Cervical Discectomy

Clinical Experience with Percutaneous Cervical Discectomy