scholarly journals “Visualization” of Pain using Cerebral 18 F-FDG PET/CT Following Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation

Author(s):  
Christian Christensen Støttrup ◽  
Caius Constantinescu ◽  
Reza Piri ◽  
Mohsen Khosravi ◽  
Andrew Newberg ◽  
...  

Abstract We hypothesised that unilateral leg pain following surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is associated with an increase in the glucose metabolism of the contralateral thalamus. Patients scheduled for surgery due to LDH underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) less than two weeks prior to surgery. Their thalamic FDG uptake was measured and expressed as the mean and partial volume corrected mean standardized uptake values (SUVmean and cSUVmean). These measures were compared with patient-related outcome measures collected pre- and 1-year postoperatively: back and leg pain on a 0-100 VAS scale and health related quality of life as measured by the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D). Twenty-six patients (10 females) aged 49.7 ± 7.4 (mean ± SD) years were included. There was a significant correlation between painful body side and increased contralateral thalamic uptake of FDG, with regard to cSUVmean values. Correlation analyses including clinical parameters and cSUVmean indicated some association with 1-year change in EQ-5D. These preliminary data sustain the hypothesis that unilateral pain in patients with LDH is associated with increased glucose metabolism in the contralateral thalamus, suggestion a central role of thalamus in chronic pain perception.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Mladen E. Ovcharov

Summary Unsatisfactory results from lumbar disc herniation (LDH) conservative treatment suggest referral of patients for neurosurgical treatment. The time required for such a decision is considered to be about 4-6 weeks. In most cases, surgery quickly relieves pain symptoms, all along with the restoration of patient functions. The optimal surgical technique for LDH is theoretically controversial. We consider two discectomy methods as quite effective in our clinic: standard open discectomy (SD) and microdiscectomy (MD). Many retrospective studies have demonstrated the superiority of one of these techniques. Most studies describe microdiscectomy as a golden standard for surgical treatment of symptomatic disc herniation. We focused on the clinical aspects and correlations in the surgical treatment of LDH, as presented in the literature. The patients we present were divided by type of surgical procedure (SD or MD), and other parameters: sex, age, duration of symptoms, blood loss, duration of the operation, reoperation rate, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). We used chi-square tests (ANOVA analysis) and directional measures to determine statistically significant data. Five hundred eighty-nine single-level lumbar discectomies were performed for five years (2012-2017), and all the patients presented with classical signs of the condition, i.e., vertebral and radicular syndromes. SD was performed on 498 patients, and MD – on 91 patients. Analyses of the parameters mean VAS values of lumbar and leg pain postoperatively, and within one month after surgery demonstrated statistically significant differences between standard and microdiscectomy (p<0.05). LDH surgical techniques have become more and more sophisticated over the last 40 years, but without substantial improvement in the functional and clinical results. Appropriate patient selection is a crucial factor for the postoperative outcome. Neurosurgeons should fully master the chosen technique for satisfactory postoperative results.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sowon Oh ◽  
Vikas Prasad ◽  
Dong Soo Lee ◽  
R. P. Baum

The heterogeneous nature of the neuroendocrine tumors (NET) makes it challenging to find one uniformly applicable management protocol which is especially true for diagnosis. The discovery of the overexpression of somatostatin receptors (SMS-R) on neuroendocrine tumor cells lead to the generalized and rapid acceptance of radiolabeled somatostatin receptor analogs for staging and restaging of NET as well as for Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRNT) using Y-90 and Lu-177 DOTATATE/DOTATOC. In this present work we tried to look in to the effect of PRRNT on the glucose metabolism assessed by F-18 FDG PET/CT and SMS-R density assessed by Ga-68 DOTANOC PET/CT. We observed a complex relationship between the somatostatin receptor expression and glucose metabolism with only 56% (77/138) of the lesions showing match, while the others show mismatch between the receptor status and metabolism. The match between receptor expression and glucose metabolism increases with the grade of NET. In grade 3 NET, there is a concurrence between the changes in glucose metabolism and somatostatin receptor expression. PRRNT was found to be more effective in lesions with higher receptor expression.


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.


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.


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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