scholarly journals Return to work in patients with lumbar disc herniation undergoing fusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Protzer ◽  
Steven D. Glassman ◽  
Praveen V. Mummaneni ◽  
Mohamad Bydon ◽  
Erica F. Bisson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common problem. When surgical treatment is required, the intervention is typically decompression without fusion. Successful return-to-work (RTW) is a standard expectation with these limited procedures. Occasionally, the size or location of the disc herniation suggests the need for fusion, but the inability to RTW is a significant concern in these cases. The purpose of this study is to determine if the addition of lumbar fusion, as compared to decompression alone, will substantially diminish RTW in patients with lumbar disc herniation. Methods This is a longitudinal cohort study using prospectively collected data from the Quality and Outcomes Database (QOD). Patients with LDH, eligible to RTW (not retired, a student, or on disability) with complete 12-month follow-up data, were identified. Standard demographic and surgical variables, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and RTW status at 3 and 12 months were collected. Results Of the 5062 patients identified, 4560 (90%) had decompression alone and 502 (10%) had a concurrent fusion. Age and gender were similar in the two groups. The fusion group had worse back pain (NRS 6.52 vs. 5.96) and less leg pain (6.31 vs. 7.01) at baseline compared to the no fusion group. Statistically significant improvement in all PROs was seen in both groups. RTW at 3 months post-op was seen in 85% of decompression cases and 66% of cases with supplemental fusion. At 12 months post-op, RTW increased to 93% and 82%, respectively. Conclusion The need for fusion in LDH cases is unusual, seen in only 10% of cases in this series. The addition of fusion decreased the RTW rate from 85 to 66% at 3 months and from 93 to 82% at 12 months post-op. While the difference is significant, the ultimate deterioration in RTW may be less than anticipated. A reasonable RTW rate can still be expected in the rare patient who requires fusion as part of their treatment for LDH.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Joel Beck ◽  
Olof Westin ◽  
Helena Brisby ◽  
Adad Baranto

OBJECTIVESciatica is the hallmark symptom of a lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Up to 90% of LDH patients recover within 12 weeks regardless of treatment. With continued deteriorating symptoms and low patient quality of life, most surgeons recommend surgical discectomy. However, there is not yet a clear consensus regarding the proper timing of surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the duration of preoperative leg pain (sciatic neuralgia) is associated with patient-reported levels of postoperative leg pain reduction and other patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in a prospectively collected data set from a large national cohort.METHODSAll patients aged 18–65 years undergoing a lumbar discectomy during 2013–2016 and registered in Swespine (the Swedish national spine registry) with 1 year of postoperative follow-up data were included in the study (n = 6216). The patients were stratified into 4 groups according to preoperative pain duration: < 3, 3–12, 12–24, or > 24 months. Patient results assessed with the numeric rating scale (NRS) for leg pain (rated from 0 to 10), global assessment of leg pain, EQ-5D, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and patient satisfaction with the final surgical outcome were analyzed and compared with preoperative values and between groups.RESULTSA significant improvement was seen 1 year postoperatively regardless of preoperative pain duration (change in NRS score: mean −4.83, 95% CI −4.73 to −4.93 in the entire cohort). The largest decrease in leg pain NRS score (mean −5.59, 95% CI −5.85 to −5.33) was seen in the operated group with the shortest sciatica duration (< 3 months). The patients with a leg pain duration in excess of 12 months had a significantly higher risk of having unchanged radiating leg pain 1 year postoperatively compared with those with < 12-month leg pain duration at the time of surgery (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.81–3.21, p < 0.0001).CONCLUSIONSPatients with the shortest leg pain duration (< 3 months) reported superior outcomes in all measured parameters. More significantly, using a 12-month pain duration as a cutoff, patients who had a lumbar discectomy with a preoperative symptom duration < 12 months experienced a larger reduction in leg pain and were more satisfied with their surgical outcome and perception of postoperative leg pain than those with > 12 months of sciatic leg pain.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 623-626
Author(s):  
Simon Thorbjørn Sørensen ◽  
Rachid Bech-Azeddine ◽  
Søren Fruensgaard ◽  
Mikkel Østerheden Andersen ◽  
Leah Carreon

OBJECTIVEPatients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) typically present with lower-extremity radiculopathy. However, there are patients who have concomitant substantial back pain (BP) and are considered candidates for fusion. The purpose of this study was to determine if patients with LDH and substantial BP improve with discectomy alone.METHODSThe DaneSpine database was used to identify 2399 patients with LDH and baseline BP visual analog scale (VAS) scores ≥ 50 who underwent a lumbar discectomy at one of 3 facilities between June 2010 and December 2017. Standard demographic and surgical variables and patient-reported outcomes, including BP and leg pain (LP) VAS scores (0–100), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D) at baseline and 12 months postoperatively, were collected.RESULTSA total of 1654 patients (69%) had 12-month data available, with a mean age of 48.7 years; 816 (49%) were male and the mean BMI was 27 kg/m2. At 12 months postoperatively, there were statistically significant improvements (p < 0.0001) in BP (72.6 to 36.9), LP (74.8 to 32.6), ODI (50.9 to 25.1), and EQ-5D (0.25 to 0.65) scores.CONCLUSIONSPatients with LDH and LP and concomitant substantial BP can be counseled to expect improvement in their BP 12 months after surgery after a discectomy alone, as well as improvement in their LP.


F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 2170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Sørlie ◽  
Sasha Gulati ◽  
Charalampis Giannadakis ◽  
Sven M. Carlsen ◽  
Øyvind Salvesen ◽  
...  

Introduction:  Since the introduction of lumbar microdiscectomy in the 1970’s, many studies have attempted to compare the effectiveness of this method with that of standard open discectomy with conflicting results. This observational study is designed to compare the relative effectiveness of microdiscectomy (MD) with open discectomy (OD) for treating lumbar disc herniation, -within a large cohort, recruited from daily clinical practice. Methods and analysis:   This study will include patients registered in the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery (NORspine). This clinical registry collects prospective data, including preoperative and postoperative outcome measures as well as individual and demographic parameters. The primary outcome is change in Oswestry disability index between baseline and 12 months after surgery. Secondary outcome measures are improvement of leg pain and changes in health related quality of life measured by the Euro-Qol-5D between baseline and 12 months after surgery, complications to surgery, duration of surgical procedures and length of hospital stay.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cai Chen ◽  
Dandan Wang ◽  
Fanjie Liu ◽  
Hao Qin ◽  
Xiyuan Li ◽  
...  

AbstractPurposeThis paper was designed to critically provide empirical evidence for the relationship between temperature and intensity of back pain among people with lumbar disc herniation (LDH).MethodsDistributed lag linear and non-linear models (DLNM) was used to evaluate the relationship between lag-response and exposure to ambient temperature. Stratification was based on age and gender.ResultsWhen daily average temperature was on the rage of 15-23□, the risk of hospitalization was at the lowest level for men group. About below 10□, risk for male hospitalization could keep increase when lag day were during lag0-lag5 and lag20-lag28. 40<age≤50 group was little affected when they exposed to ambient temperature.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Kanayama ◽  
Tomoyuki Hashimoto ◽  
Keiichi Shigenobu ◽  
Fumihiro Oha ◽  
Shigeru Yamane

Object. Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a chemical mediator associated with nucleus pulposus—induced radiculopathy. Inhibition of 5-HT receptors may potentially alleviate symptoms in patients with lumbar disc herniation. This prospective randomized controlled study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the 5-HT2A receptor inhibitor in the treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation. Methods. Forty patients with sciatica due to L4–5 or L5—S1 disc herniation were randomly allocated to treatment with the 5-HT2A inhibitor (sarpogrelate 300 mg/day) or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; diclofenac 75 mg/day). Low-back pain, leg pain, and numbness were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) before and after a 2-week course of treatment. The patients received only allocated medicine during the 2-week regimen and were thereafter allowed to choose any treatment options depending on their residual symptoms. One-year clinical outcomes were assessed based on the rates of additional medical interventions. The mean VAS score improvements in the 5-HT2A and NSAID groups were 33 and 46% for low-back pain, 32 and 32% for leg pain, and 35 and 22% for leg numbness, respectively. After the 2-week regimen, no additional medical interventions were required in 50% of 5-HT2A—treated patients and 15% of those receiving NSAIDs. Epidural or nerve root block procedures were performed in 35% of the 5-HT2A group and 45% of the NSAID group. Surgery was required in 20% of the 5-HT2A group and 30% of the NSAID group patients. Conclusions. The current study provided evidence that the efficacy of the 5-HT2A inhibitor was comparable with that of NSAID therapy for lumbar disc herniation. The 5-HT2A inhibitor has the potential to alleviate symptoms in patients with lumbar disc herniation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio D. Montejo ◽  
Joaquin Q. Camara-Quintana ◽  
Daniel Duran ◽  
Jeannine M. Rockefeller ◽  
Sierra B. Conine ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVELumbar disc herniation (LDH) in the pediatric population is rare and exhibits unique characteristics compared with adult LDH. There are limited data regarding the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) using tubular retractors in pediatric patients with LDH. Here, the outcomes of MIS tubular microdiscectomy for the treatment of pediatric LDH are evaluated.METHODSTwelve consecutive pediatric patients with LDH were treated with MIS tubular microdiscectomy at the authors’ institution between July 2011 and October 2015. Data were gathered from retrospective chart review and from mail or electronic questionnaires. The Macnab criteria and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used for outcome measurements.RESULTSThe mean age at surgery was 17 ± 1.6 years (range 13–19 years). Seven patients were female (58%). Prior to surgical intervention, 100% of patients underwent conservative treatment, and 50% had epidural steroid injections. Preoperative low-back and leg pain, positive straight leg raise, and myotomal leg weakness were noted in 100%, 83%, and 67% of patients, respectively. The median duration of symptoms prior to surgery was 9 months (range 1–36 months). The LDH level was L5–S1 in 75% of patients and L4–5 in 25%. The mean ± SD operative time was 90 ± 21 minutes, the estimated blood loss was ≤ 25 ml in 92% of patients (maximum 50 ml), and no intraoperative or postoperative complications were noted at 30 days. The median hospital length of stay was 1 day (range 0–3 days). The median follow-up duration was 2.2 years (range 0–5.8 years). One patient experienced reherniation at 18 months after the initial operation and required a second same-level MIS tubular microdiscectomy to achieve resolution of symptoms. Of the 11 patients seen for follow-up, 10 patients (91%) reported excellent or good satisfaction according to the Macnab criteria at the last follow-up. Only 1 patient reported a fair level of satisfaction by using the same criteria. Seven patients completed an ODI evaluation at the last follow-up. For these 7 patients, the mean ODI low-back pain score was 19.7% (SEM 2.8%).CONCLUSIONSTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the longest outcomes study and the largest series of pediatric patients with LDH who were treated with MIS microdiscectomy using tubular retractors. These data suggest that MIS tubular microdiscectomy is safe and efficacious for pediatric LDH. Larger prospective cohort studies with longer follow-up are needed to better evaluate the long-term efficacy of MIS tubular microdiscectomy versus other open and MIS techniques for the treatment of pediatric LDH.


Medicine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 97 (34) ◽  
pp. e11951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Kyo Jeong ◽  
Young Il Kim ◽  
Eunseok Kim ◽  
Hae Jin Kong ◽  
Kwang Sik Yoon ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Hubbe ◽  
Pamela Franco-Jimenez ◽  
Jan-Helge Klingler ◽  
Ioannis Vasilikos ◽  
Christoph Scholz ◽  
...  

OBJECT The aim of the study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive tubular microdiscectomy for the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation (LDH). As opposed to endoscopic techniques, namely microendoscopic and endoscopic transforaminal discectomy, this microscopically assisted technique has never been used for the treatment of recurrent LDH. METHODS Thirty consecutive patients who underwent minimally invasive tubular microdiscectomy for recurrent LDH were included in the study. The preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain, the clinical outcome according to modified Macnab criteria, and complications were analyzed retrospectively. The minimum follow-up was 1.5 years. Student t-test with paired samples was used for the statistical comparison of pre- and postoperative VAS scores. A p value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS The mean operating time was 90 ± 35 minutes. The VAS score for leg pain was significantly reduced from 5.9 ± 2.1 preoperatively to 1.7 ± 1.3 postoperatively (p < 0.001). The overall success rate (excellent or good outcome according to Macnab criteria) was 90%. Incidental durotomy occurred in 5 patients (16.7%) without neurological consequences, CSF fistula, or negative influence to the clinical outcome. Instability occurred in 2 patients (6.7%). CONCLUSIONS The clinical outcome of minimally invasive tubular microdiscectomy is comparable to the reported success rates of other minimally invasive techniques. The dural tear rate is not associated to higher morbidity or worse outcome. The technique is an equally effective and safe treatment option for recurrent LDH.


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