The Role of Hounsfield Unit in Intraoperative Endplate Violation and Delayed Cage Subsidence with Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 219256822110525
Author(s):  
Hao Wu ◽  
Jason Pui Yin Cheung ◽  
Teng Zhang ◽  
Zhi Shan ◽  
Xuyang Zhang ◽  
...  

Study Design Retrospective clinical case series. Objectives To investigate the risk factors for intraoperative endplate violations and delayed cage subsidence after oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) surgery. Secondly, to examine whether low Hounsfield unit (HU) values at different regions of the endplate are associated with intraoperative endplate violation or delayed cage subsidence. Methods 61 patients (aged 65.1 ± 9.5 years; 107 segments) who underwent OLIF with or without posterior instrumentation from May 2015 to April 2019 were retrospectively studied. Intraoperative endplate violation was measured on sagittal reconstructed computerized tomography (CT) images immediate postoperatively, while delayed cage subsidence was evaluated using lateral radiographs and defined at 1-month follow-up or later. Demographic information and clinical parameters such as age, body mass index, bone mineral density, number of surgical levels, cage dimension, disc height restoration, visual analogue scale (VAS), and HU at different regions of the endplate were obtained. Results Total postoperative cage subsidence was identified in 45 surgical levels (42.0%) in 26 patients (42.6%) up till postoperative 1-year follow-up. Low HU value at the ipsilateral epiphyseal ring was an independent risk factor for intraoperative endplate violation ( P = .008) with a cut-off value of 326.21 HUs. Low HU values at the central endplate had a significant correlation with delayed cage subsidence in stand-alone cases ( P = .013) with a cut-off value of 296.42 HUs. VAS scores were not different at 1 week postoperatively in cases with or without intraoperative endplate violation (3.12 ± .73 vs 2.89 ± .72, P = .166) and showed no difference at 1 year with or without delayed cage subsidence (1.95 ± .60 vs 2.26 ± .85, P = .173). Conclusions Intraoperative endplate violation and delayed cage subsidence are not uncommon with OLIF surgery. HUs of the endplate are good predictors for intraoperative endplate violation and cage subsidence since they can represent the regional bone quality of the endplate in contact with the implant. VAS improvements were not affected by intraoperative endplate violation or delayed cage subsidence at 1-year follow-up. Level of Evidence Level III.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Liu ◽  
Quanlai Zhao ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Liang Xiao ◽  
Xin Ge ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) has been gained more and more attention in the treatment of degenerative lumbar disease. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of indirect decompression in lumbar spinal stenosis with stand-alone OLIF. Methods Sixty-three patients with lumbar spinal stenosis who underwent stand-alone OLIF between July 2017 and May 2018 our department were included. Clinical outcomes including visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were recorded. Radiographic outcomes comprising of disc height (DH), foraminal height (FH) and lumbar lordosis (LL) were measured. Intraoperative data and complications were collected. All the data were compared preoperatively and postoperatively. Results Eighty-two segments were fused in sixty-three patients using stand-alone OLIF. The average follow-up time was 21.9±3.5 months (range from 16 to 28 months). The DH increased from 0.9±0.3 cm preoperatively to 1.3±0.2 cm postoperatively, and the final follow-up was 1.1±0.2 cm (P < 0.01). The FH increased from 1.7±0.3 cm before surgery to 2.3±0.3 cm after surgery, but decreased to 2.1±0.3 cm at final follow-up (P < 0.01). The LL increased from 38.0°±15.6° before surgery to 42.7°±13.0° at the final follow-up (p<0.01). The VAS and ODI scores of all patients significantly improved at the final follow-up (p<0.01). The total complication rate was 30.2%. Only three patients received revision of posterior decompression and pedicle screw fixation. Conclusions Stand-alone OLIF is an effective option in selected patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Marchi ◽  
Nitamar Abdala ◽  
Leonardo Oliveira ◽  
Rodrigo Amaral ◽  
Etevaldo Coutinho ◽  
...  

Object Indirect decompression of the neural structures through interbody distraction and fusion in the lumbar spine is feasible, but cage subsidence may limit maintenance of the initial decompression. The influence of interbody cage size on subsidence and symptoms in minimally invasive lateral interbody fusion is heretofore unreported. The authors report the rate of cage subsidence after lateral interbody fusion, examine the clinical effects, and present a subsidence classification scale. Methods The study was performed as an institutional review board–approved prospective, nonrandomized, comparative, single-center radiographic and clinical evaluation. Stand-alone short-segment (1- or 2-level) lateral lumbar interbody fusion was investigated with 12 months of postoperative follow-up. Two groups were compared. Forty-six patients underwent treatment at 61 lumbar levels with standard interbody cages (18 mm anterior/posterior dimension), and 28 patients underwent treatment at 37 lumbar levels with wide cages (22 mm). Standing lateral radiographs were used to measure segmental lumbar lordosis, disc height, and rate of subsidence. Subsidence was classified using the following scale: Grade 0, 0%–24% loss of postoperative disc height; Grade I, 25%–49%; Grade II, 50%–74%; and Grade III, 75%–100%. Fusion status was assessed on CT scanning, and pain and disability were assessed using the visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index. Complications and reoperations were recorded. Results Pain and disability improved similarly in both groups. While significant gains in segmental lumbar lordosis and disc height were observed overall, the standard group experienced less improvement due to the higher rate of interbody graft subsidence. A difference in the rate of subsidence between the groups was evident at 6 weeks (p = 0.027), 3 months (p = 0.042), and 12 months (p = 0.047). At 12 months, 70% in the standard group and 89% in the wide group had Grade 0 or I subsidence, and 30% in the standard group and 11% in wide group had Grade II or III subsidence. Subsidence was detected early (6 weeks), at which point it was correlated with transient clinical worsening, although progression of subsidence was not observed after the 6-week time point. Moreover, subsidence occurred predominantly (68%) in the inferior endplate. Fusion rate was not affected by cage dimension (p > 0.999) or by incidence of subsidence (p = 0.383). Conclusions Wider cages avoid subsidence and better restore segmental lordosis in stand-alone lateral interbody fusion. Cage subsidence is identified early in follow-up and can be accessed using the proposed classification scale.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Lang ◽  
Yuqing Sun ◽  
Qiang Yuan ◽  
Jingye Wu ◽  
Mingxing Fan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) is applied often to treat degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine. Stand-alone OLIF prevents morbidities associated with supplemental fixation and is less expensive. However, it remains controversial whether stand-alone OLIF is sufficient to avoid subsidence for single-level diseases. Additionally, bilateral pedicle screw (BPS) and bilateral transfacet screw (BTS) fixation are well-established posterior fixation methods that can offer improved biomechanical stability. But the comparison of clinical outcomes of OLIF with and without supplementary instrumentation is lack. Methods We retrospectively examined 20 patients who underwent single-level stand-alone OLIF for symptomatic lumbar degenerative disease at L1–L5 (SA group). Groups of patients treated with OLIF plus BPS (n = 20, BPS group) or BTS (n = 20, BTS group) were matched for age, sex, diagnosis, operative level, body mass index, and bone mineral density. The disk height index (DHI), segmental lordotic (SL) angle, and lumbar lordotic (LL) angle were measured preoperatively and at 3 days and 6 months postoperatively. Clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results Significant disc height loss was observed in all groups, but was greater in the SA and BTS groups than in the BPS group at the 6-month follow-up. The SL and LL angles were not affected in any group. The operative time was significantly less in the SA group, and the estimated blood loss was significantly higher in the BPS group. At 6 months post-surgery, improvements in clinical outcomes were evident in all groups, but the VAS (back pain), JOA, and ODI scores were worse in the SA group than in the other groups. Conclusions Stand-alone OLIF was associated with greater subsidence and poorer clinical outcomes compared with OLIF plus supplementary instrumentation. The addition of BTS did not decrease the degree of subsidence, but provided clinical outcomes comparable to those achieved with BPS.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Lang ◽  
Yuqing Sun ◽  
Qiang Yuan ◽  
Jingye Wu ◽  
Mingxing Fan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) is applied often to treat degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine. Stand-alone OLIF prevents morbidities associated with supplemental fixation and is less expensive. However, it remains controversial whether stand-alone OLIF is sufficient to avoid subsidence for single-level diseases. Additionally, bilateral pedicle screw (BPS) and bilateral transfacet screw (BTS) fixation are well-established posterior fixation methods that can offer improved biomechanical stability. But the comparison of clinical outcomes of OLIF with and without supplementary instrumentation is lack. Methods We retrospectively examined 20 patients who underwent single-level stand-alone OLIF for symptomatic lumbar degenerative disease at L1–L5 (SA group). Groups of patients treated with OLIF plus BPS (n = 20, BPS group) or BTS (n = 20, BTS group) were matched for age, sex, diagnosis, operative level, body mass index, and bone mineral density. The disk height index (DHI), segmental lordotic (SL) angle, and lumbar lordotic (LL) angle were measured preoperatively and at 3 days and 6 months postoperatively. Clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results Significant disc height loss was observed in all groups, but was greater in the SA and BTS groups than in the BPS group at the 6-month follow-up. The SL and LL angles were not affected in any group. The operative time was significantly less in the SA group, and the estimated blood loss was significantly higher in the BPS group. At 6 months post-surgery, improvements in clinical outcomes were evident in all groups, but the VAS (back pain), JOA, and ODI scores were worse in the SA group than in the other groups. Conclusions Stand-alone OLIF was associated with greater subsidence and poorer clinical outcomes compared with OLIF plus supplementary instrumentation. The addition of BTS did not decrease the degree of subsidence, but provided clinical outcomes comparable to those achieved with BPS.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhui Zhang ◽  
Weiqiang Sun ◽  
Yuanyuan Zhang ◽  
Fengguang Yang ◽  
Yuping Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: This research aimed to investigate the curative effect of oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) in the treatment of lumbar tuberculosis. Methods: A total of 32 patients, including 18 males and 14 females (29-58 years old, with the mean age of 47) who were admitted to our hospital from October 2016 to June 2020 and treated with oblique lateral interbody fusion combined with vertebral screw internal fixation, were retrospectively collected. The segmental distribution of lesions was L2- L316 cases, L3-L411 cases and L4-L55 cases. At first, preoperative antituberculous drug treatment was standardized for 2-4 weeks. Furthermore, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative complications, ESR, CRP, VAS, JOA and ASIA scores were recorded before and after surgery and at the last follow-up. In addition, antituberculous drug therapy was regulated continuously after surgery.Results: All patients were followed up for 12-17 months, with an average of 14 months. ① The average operation time was (132.5±21.4) min, and the intraoperative blood loss was (227.3±43.1) ml. ② Preoperative ESR was (74.56±15.43) mmol/h, and CRP was (43.21±19.37) mg/L. Seven days after surgery, ESR was (42.37±19.26) mmol/h, and CRP was (22.51±18.42) mg/L. In the last follow-up, ESR was (9.25±4.13) mmol/h, and CRP was (8.17±3.21) mg/L. They have statistically significant differences before surgery, seven days after the surgery and in the last follow-up (P<0.05). ③ The average VAS score before surgery was (7.21±1.40) points, the average JOA score was (18.24±4.13) points, the average VAS score seven days after surgery was (2.23±1.32) points, the average JOA score was (24.72±3.19) points, and the average VAS score in the last follow-up was (1.63±0.54) points. JOA score was (27.72±2.61). They have statistically significant differences before surgery, seven days after the surgery and in the last follow-up (P<0.05) ④Six patients had neurologic symptoms with ASIA grade D before surgery, 2 patients recovered to Grade E seven days after surgery, and the remaining 4 patients also recovered to grade E in the last follow-up. Besides, 26 patients were graded as Grade E before surgery, seven days after surgery and in the last follow-up. ⑤ After surgery, 1 patient suffered psoas major muscle damage, which was manifested as reduced hip flexion strength of the lower extremity, and returned to normal three weeks later. Apart from that, none of the patients had complications such as abdominal organ injury and poor wound healing. Conclusion: OLIF is a new minimally invasive method for treating lumbar tuberculosis, with short operation time, less blood loss, convenient operation, thorough removal of lesions, and good long-term follow-up effect. It is worthy of promotion and application.


2020 ◽  
pp. 219256822094144
Author(s):  
Nam-Su Chung ◽  
Han-Dong Lee ◽  
Chang-Hoon Jeon

Study Design: Retrospective case-control study. Objectives: Vertebral end plate (EP) lesions include Modic changes, Schmorl’s nodes, EP erosion, EP sclerosis, and so on. While previous studies have mostly focused on the association between vertebral EP lesions and low back pain, few studies evaluated the influence of vertebral EP lesions on the radiological outcomes in lumbar interbody fusion. Methods: This study included a total of 125 operated disc levels from 86 consecutive patients who underwent a 1- or 2-level oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) and had more than 1-year regular follow-up. The presence of vertebral EP lesions, changes in disc heights/angle, cage subsidence, and fusion grade were examined. The associations between vertebral EP lesions and radiological parameters were analyzed. Result: The presence of Modic changes, Schmorl’s node, EP cartilage erosion, and EP sclerosis were found in 72 (57.6%), 26 (20.8%), 31 (24.8%), and 44 (35.2%) disc levels, respectively. The mean anterior disc height increased from 6.9 ± 3.8 mm to 13.1 ± 2.7 mm ( P < .001) and the mean segmental angle increased from 2.9° ± 5.8° to 9.2° ± 4.8° ( P < .001) at the last follow-up. The overall fusion rate was 98.4% (123/125) and cage subsidence rate was 7.2% (9/125). All radiological parameters and cage subsidence rate were not different regardless of vertebral EP lesions. Conclusions: Vertebral EP lesions did not affect the overall radiological outcome in 1- or 2-level OLIF. These results come from the stable contact between lateral cage and peripheral rim of vertebral EP.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Tomohide Segawa ◽  
Hisashi Koga ◽  
Masahito Oshina ◽  
Katsuhiko Ishibashi ◽  
Yuichi Takano ◽  
...  

Background and objectives: Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion (OLIF) is a widely performed, minimally invasive technique to achieve lumbar lateral interbody fusion. However, some complications can arise due to constraints posed by the limited surgical space and visual field. The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term postoperative clinical outcomes of microendoscopy-assisted OLIF (ME-OLIF) compared to conventional OLIF. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively investigated 75 consecutive patients who underwent OLIF or ME-OLIF. The age, sex, diagnosis, and number of fused levels were obtained from medical records. Operation time, estimated blood loss (EBL), and intraoperative complications were also collected. Operation time and EBL were only measured per level required for the lateral procedure, excluding the posterior fixation surgery. The primary outcome measure was assessed using the Japanese Orthopedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ). The secondary outcome measure was assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), measured preoperatively and 1-year postoperatively. Results: This case series consisted of 14 patients in the OLIF group and 61 patients in the ME-OLIF group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean operative time and EBL (p = 0.90 and p = 0.50, respectively). The perioperative complication rate was 21.4% in the OLIF group and 21.3% in the ME-OLIF group (p = 0.99). In both groups, the postoperative JOABPEQ, EQ-5D, and ODI scores improved significantly (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although there was no significant difference in clinical results between the two surgical methods, the results suggest that both are safe surgical methods and that microendoscopy-assisted OLIF could serve as a potential alternative to the conventional OLIF procedure.


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