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Background Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) is a simple, safe, and effective treatment for contained cervical herniated intervertebral disc (CHIVD). However, few studies have compared the actual benefits of PCN against conservative treatment (CT), either clinically or radiographically. Purpose The present study sought to analyze and to compare the outcomes of symptomatic contained CHIVD treated with PCN or CT. Methods The present study was designed as a case–control comparative study. Patients who indicated for PCN after a failed CT for more than 6 months were recruited. After the exclusion of some patients who did not meet the selection criteria of the study, we finally enrolled 71 patients treated with PCN. In addition, another 21 patients who indicated for PCN but finally chose to receive CT continuously were also enrolled and categorized as the control group. All patients completed the 6-month follow-up. Pain levels and functional outcomes were evaluated pre- and post-operatively by assessing the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Neck Disability Index (NDI). Radiographic images of 72 of 104 intervened segments were collected to measure disc height and other cervical spinal alignments, such as range of motion, C2–7 Cobb’s angle, and C2–7 sagittal vertical axis. Results Compared with the CT group, the PCN group showed significantly better outcomes on VAS, ODI, and NDI at the 1-month post-operative follow-up, which continued through at least the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.01 for VAS and P < 0.05 for ODI and NDI). The mean disc height significantly decreased, from 6.04 ± 0.85 mm to 5.76 ± 1.02 mm, 3 months after PCN treatment (P = 0.003). However, the degree of disc height decrease did not correlate with the changes of the substantial VAS improvement. Conclusions To provide therapeutic benefits for symptomatic contained CHIVD patients after an invalid CT for 6 months, PCN seems to be a better option than CT. The reduced disc heights did not alter the clinical outcomes of PCN.
Background Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) is a simple, safe, and effective treatment for contained cervical herniated intervertebral disc (CHIVD). However, few studies have compared the actual benefits of PCN against conservative treatment (CT), either clinically or radiographically. Purpose The present study sought to analyze and to compare the outcomes of symptomatic contained CHIVD treated with PCN or CT. Methods The present study was designed as a case–control comparative study. Patients who indicated for PCN after a failed CT for more than 6 months were recruited. After the exclusion of some patients who did not meet the selection criteria of the study, we finally enrolled 71 patients treated with PCN. In addition, another 21 patients who indicated for PCN but finally chose to receive CT continuously were also enrolled and categorized as the control group. All patients completed the 6-month follow-up. Pain levels and functional outcomes were evaluated pre- and post-operatively by assessing the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Neck Disability Index (NDI). Radiographic images of 72 of 104 intervened segments were collected to measure disc height and other cervical spinal alignments, such as range of motion, C2–7 Cobb’s angle, and C2–7 sagittal vertical axis. Results Compared with the CT group, the PCN group showed significantly better outcomes on VAS, ODI, and NDI at the 1-month post-operative follow-up, which continued through at least the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.01 for VAS and P < 0.05 for ODI and NDI). The mean disc height significantly decreased, from 6.04 ± 0.85 mm to 5.76 ± 1.02 mm, 3 months after PCN treatment (P = 0.003). However, the degree of disc height decrease did not correlate with the changes of the substantial VAS improvement. Conclusions To provide therapeutic benefits for symptomatic contained CHIVD patients after an invalid CT for 6 months, PCN seems to be a better option than CT. The reduced disc heights did not alter the clinical outcomes of PCN.
Purpose Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) is a minimally invasive treatment for cervical radicular pain due to a disc herniation. Preliminary results show equivalent patient-reported outcomes of PCN as compared to conventional anterior cervical discectomy. However, there is a paucity of long-term outcome data. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the long-term clinical results of PCN. Patients and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent PCN at a secondary referral center between 2010 and 2014. Before surgery and five days after surgery, numeric rating scales (NRS) for arm pain and neck pain and data on complications were collected. To determine long-term follow-up outcomes, patients were sent a questionnaire booklet containing the Core Outcome Measures Index-Neck (COMI-Neck), NRS for arm pain and neck pain, Likert-scales on patient satisfaction and questions regarding the incidence of reoperations and complications. Results The baseline characteristics were collected for 158 patients. At a median follow-up of 41.5 months (interquartile range (IQR) 27.0 to 57.5), data were available for 118 patients (74.7%). At short-term follow-up, patients that underwent PCN had a mean decrease of 3.0 on the NRS for arm pain (95% CI 2.5 to 3.6) compared to baseline, while at long-term follow-up, a mean decrease of 2.8 (95% CI 1.0 to 3.6) was observed. At the long-term follow-up, 67.8% of the patients were fully recovered from all symptoms and 93.3% remained satisfied with the PCN treatment results. The reoperation rate for recurrent disc herniation was 21.4% at long-term follow-up. Conclusion PCN appears to be a safe and effective treatment at short-term and long-term follow-up of a specific selection of cervical herniated discs, with an acceptable long-term reoperation rate. These study results suggest a potential role of PCN as a less invasive treatment option for cervical radicular pain due to a soft disc herniation, before anterior cervical discectomy should be considered.
This article defines vertebra-related causes of vertebrobasilar insufficiency in patients with the signs of tortuosity of segment VI of the VA. The aim of this study is to present the results of diagnostics of discirculatory phenomena in the vertebrobasilar system and to show their importance for differentiated surgical treatment of stenotic lesions of segment V1 of VA in pathological disorders of cerebral circulation in the VBS caused by osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. The following traditional methods are used in diagnostics: Doppler ultrasonography, multispiral computed tomography with contrast enhancement. Also using developed by the author method for determining VA reactivity and circulatory insufficiency in the vertebrobasilar system (VBS). Based on our methodology and criteria, patients were selected for different types of surgical treatment with clinical outcome prediction following interventions on the arteries of the VBS. To determine the pathologies of the intracranial segments of the vertebral and basilar arteries, taking into account the pathways of collateral compensation in the VBS, cerebral angiography is recommended before surgery on the arteries of the VBS. Reconstructive techniques used on segment VI of the VA will predictably show the best long-term clinical results. The excision of a tortuous segment VI of the VA may be effective in obtaining reliable results of successful interventions in the early postoperative period. The conservative treatment of the patients with multiple VBD lesions is possible. early outcomes of their use are satisfactory.
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