scholarly journals Histopathological Analysis of Ligamentum Flavum in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and Disc Herniation

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idiris Altun ◽  
Kasım Zafer Yüksel

<sec><title>Study Design</title><p>Histopathological analyses were performed in ligamentum flavum (LF) hypertrophy patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbar disc herniation (LDH).</p></sec><sec><title>Purpose</title><p>The aim of the present study was to evaluate histopathological changes in LF patients with LSS and LDH.</p></sec><sec><title>Overview of Literature</title><p>LSS is the most common spinal disorder in elderly patients. This condition causes lower back and leg pain and paresis, and occurs as a result of degenerative changes in the lumbar spine, including bulging of the intervertebral discs, bony proliferation of the facet joints, and LF thickening; among these, LF thickening is considered a major contributor to the development of LSS.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A total of 71 patients operated with the surgical indications of LSS and LDH were included. LF samples were obtained from 31 patients who underwent decompressive laminectomy for symptomatic degenerative LSS (stenotic group) and from 40 patients who underwent lumbar discectomy for LDH (discectomy group). LF materials were examined histopathologically, and other specimens were examined for collagen content, elastic fiber number and array, and presence of calcification.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The stenotic and discectomy groups did not differ with regard to mean collagen concentration or mean elastic fiber number (p=0.430 and p=0.457, respectively). Mean elastic fiber alignment was 2.36±0.99 in the stenotic group and 1.38±0.54 in the discectomy group (<italic>p</italic>&lt;0.001). Mean calcification was 0.39±0.50 in the stenotic group, whereas calcification was not detected (0.00±0.00) in the discectomy group; a statistically significant difference was detected (<italic>p</italic>&lt;0.001) between groups.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>LF hypertrophy in spinal stenosis may occur as a result of elastic fiber misalignment along with the development of calcification over time. Further studies determining the pathogenesis of LSS are needed.</p></sec>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deng Bo ◽  
Fan Shao Hua ◽  
Feng Xin Bing ◽  
Zhenghua Hong

Abstract Background: To analyze the relational factors influencing the formation of cauda equina redundant nerve roots (RNRs) of the lumbar spinal stenosis.Methods: A retrospective study of 116 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis were treated in our department from January 2016 to June 2019. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to observe the shape and morphology of the redundant nerve roots of the cauda equina.We divided patient into (RNRs) group and non-RNRs( NRNRs) group based on the presence or absence of RNRs on sagittal T2-weighted MR. We analyzed the demographic characteristics, preoperative back pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores ,preoperative leg pain VAS scores, and preoperative Oswestry disability index(ODI) scores, and also analyzed the rate of spondylolisthesis and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Simultaneously,the inter-vertebral height, intervertebral foramen height, inter-vertebral height +vertebral height, median sagittal diameter at the inter-vertebral space level(DIW-MSD),median sagittal diameter at the pedicel level(DV-MSD),ROM of the stenotic segment, were statistically analyzed for clinical and radiological significance.Results : Of a total 116 total patients,there were no statistically significant differences in either gender [RNRs group (n = 42, 18/24 female) and NRNR group (n = 74, 38/36 female)], age, BMI index, preoperative back pain VAS score , preoperative leg pain VAS score and preoperative ODI score(p> 0.05);however, there were statistically significant differences regard to the duration of symptoms and the rate of spondylolisthesis and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (p<0.05);the inter-vertebral height,Intervertebral foramen height, inter-vertebral height+vertebral height, DIW-MSD ,ROM of the stenotic segment were also significantly different between the group (p<0.05).Conclusions:The inter-vertebral height, inter-vertebral foramen height, inter-vertebral height + vertebral height, DIW-MSD and ROM of the stenotic segment were the crucial factors related to RNRs in lumbar spinal stenosis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-785
Author(s):  
Xiaobin Gu ◽  
Wenhui Zhu ◽  
Haiyi He ◽  
Zili Wang ◽  
Shaolong Ding ◽  
...  

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) combined with osteoporosis. METHODS: Eighty patients with LSS combined with osteoporosis were divided into a control and PTED group, which received conventional transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion and PTED, respectively. The surgical indications, incision visual analogue scale (VAS), lumbar and leg pain VAS, lumbar Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, bone mineral density (BMD), and adverse reactions were observed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, in the PTED group, the operation time, bleeding loss and hospitalization duration, incision VAS scores at postoperative 12, 24 and 48 h and lumbar and leg pain VAS and lumbar ODI scores on postoperative 6 months were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and the lumbar JOA score on postoperative 6 months was significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in BMD between two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, in the PTED group, the total effective rate was significantly higher (P < 0.05), and the incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PTED is safe and effective in the treatment of LSS combined with osteoporosis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Liu ◽  
Yingjie Qi ◽  
Diarra Mohamed Diaty ◽  
Guanglei Zheng ◽  
Xiaoqiang Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This paper is to first describe percutaneous endoscopy in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis secondary to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy targetedly. To investigate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous endoscopy in the treatment of this kind of lumbar spinal stenosis in elderly patients. Method: A retrospective analysis of 40 elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis secondary to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy admitted between January 2016 and January 2018 was performed. According to different surgical methods, they were divided into two groups: the control group and the endoscopy group (interlaminar approach), 20 people per group. There were 9 males and 11 females in the control group; the age of patients was 65.65 ± 4.44years, and the average disease duration was 4.55 ± 1.85 years. Besides, There were 10 males and 10 females in the endoscopy group; the age of patients was 67.30 ± 4.23years, and the average disease duration was 4.95 ± 2.04 years. Collect and count surgical-related indicators, preoperative and postoperative radiologic findings, incision visual analogue scale (VAS), lumbar and leg pain VAS, lumbar Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores of all patients. Result A series of surgical indicators (including the operation time, the quantity of bleeding and postoperative hospital stay) in the endoscopy group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The incision VAS score in the endoscopy group was also significantly lower than that in the control group at each time after surgery (p < 0.05). Besides, compared with the control group, in the endoscopy group, the leg pain VAS score and lumbar ODI score after surgery were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, in the endoscopy group, the lumbar JOA score was significantly higher (p < 0.05). Conclusion Percutaneous endoscopic technique is a small trauma, quick recovery, safe and effective minimally invasive surgery for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis secondary to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy.


2022 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 030006052110694
Author(s):  
In-Hwa Baek ◽  
Hyung-Youl Park ◽  
Ho-Young Jung ◽  
Jun-Seok Lee

Polymyositis is a subgroup of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies characterized by symmetric proximal limb weakness and chronic skeletal muscle inflammation. We herein report the first case of bilateral leg pain and unilateral calf atrophy caused by polymyositis accompanying lumbar spinal stenosis and disc herniation. A 52-year-old man presented with intermittent claudication and calf pain that had become gradually aggravated during the last 3 months. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal stenosis at the L3/4 and L4/5 levels and lumbar disc herniation at the L4/5 level. Preoperative laboratory investigations revealed elevated muscle enzyme concentrations. Magnetic resonance imaging also showed atrophy, fatty degeneration, and edema in both calf muscles. Histological examination showed inflammatory myositis and fibrosis in the perifascicular connective tissues. The patient was diagnosed with polymyositis. We performed decompressive laminectomy at the L3/4 and L4/5 levels and discectomy at the L4/5 level. After administration of prednisolone for 6 months and methotrexate for 3 months, the patient’s bilateral calf pain and abnormal laboratory findings improved. The combination of surgical decompression and adequate medical treatment resulted in a successful recovery. Polymyositis should be suspected in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar disc herniation who exhibit increased muscle enzyme concentrations or lower extremity muscle atrophy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfa Tu ◽  
Shuo Cao ◽  
Chenyang Jiang ◽  
Chong-chao Yan

Objective: To investigate and compare the effect of decompression and fusion with internal fixation vs. simple decompression in the treatment of elderly patients with two-segment lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) in perioperative and postoperative follow-up periods. Methods: Twenty-eight elderly patients with two-segment LSS admitted in Baoding First Hospital between Mar. 2017 and Jan. 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Fifteen patients who underwent simple decompression were included in the simple decompression group, and 13 who underwent decompression and fusion with internal fixation were included in the decompression-fixation group. The general data and perioperative conditions including wound complications, operation time, blood loss, and VAS (legs) and JOA score were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference in postoperative leg pain (VAS) between the two groups, and a statistically significant difference in JOA score was found between the two groups one month after the operation. The operation time, length of stay, and blood loss in the decompression-fixation group were significantly different from those in the simple decompression group and no significant difference in wound complications was observed between the two groups. Conclusion: There is no significant difference in leg pain relief in elderly patients with two-segment LSS when treated with decompression and fusion with internal fixation or simple decompression. Simple decompression is associated with less intraoperative injuries, better postoperative functional recovery, and reduced hospital stay. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2287 How to cite this:Tu P, Cao S, Jiang C, Yan CC. A comparative study of Lumbar Decompression and Fusion with Internal Fixation versus Simple Decompression in elderly patients with two-segment Lumbar Spinal Stenosis. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(1):256-260.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2287 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihui Cheng ◽  
Ganghui Yin ◽  
Minjun Huang ◽  
Haojie Mi ◽  
Junwei Guan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Purpose This retrospective study was applied to investigate the morphology characteristics of the spine and pelvis in patients with congenital spinal stenosis, to explore the effect of morphological parameters in the pathogenesis and development of the disease.Methods The analysis is based on data of a case-control study, including 40 patients (19 females/21 males) with congenital lumbar spinal stenosis, 40 patients (17females/23males) with age-、Sex- and the waist and leg pain score-matched acquired lumbar spinal stenosis and 40 age-、Sex-matched normal volunteers(controls). Lumbar MRI, lumbar computerized tomography(CT)and full-length radiographs were used to obtain sagittal and cross-sectional parameters. Parameters including pelvic incidence(PI), sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), lumbar lordosis (LL), sagittal vertical axis(SVA), and thoracic kyphosis(TK)on the sagittal plane were measured on full-length radiographs and analyzed. The anteroposterior (AP) bone canal diameter and spinal canal area of L4 were collected and analyzed on Lumbar CT. Lumbar MRI was taken to evaluate the angle of the ligamentum flavum at the level of L4/5 intervertebral space,and the Lumbar disc degeneration degree was calculated.Results Total scores for lumbar disc degeneration and the angle of the ligamentum flavum were significantly lower in the congenital group than in the acquired group(P= 0.02 and P= 0.012,respectively ; P<0.05). The differences of LL, PT, SVA and TK values were statistically significant , while the differences of SS and PI were not significant among the acquired, congenital, and control groups. TK values were significantly lower in the congenital group than in the acquired and control groups(P=0.024 and P=0.006,respectively; P<0.05). Patients in the congenital and acquired groups had significantly lower LL values than patients in the control group (p = 0.000 and 0.041, respectively; P<0.05). The mean value of LL was 30.31°±13.42° in the congenital group, while 41.10°±12.51° in the acquired group. And the difference of LL between these two groups was statistically significant(p=0.000<0.05). The SVA values of the congenital group, acquired group, and control group increased respectively(all P<0.05). The PT in the congenital group showed significantly lower values than the acquired group (p = 0.041<0.05). There is no statistically significant difference in other parameters.The correlations between LL and PI are well in the congenital group(r=0.336;P=0.034), acquired group(r=0.464;P=0.003) and control group(r=0.584;P=0.000). However, the trend line of LL/PI in the acquired group was drawn below the control population. Also, the trend line of LL/PI in the congenital group was below the waist and leg pain score-matched acquired group with lower lumbar degeneration.Conclusion In addition to bony structural stenosis, the smaller angle of the ligamentum flavum may be an anatomical factor that causes the smaller effective area of the spinal canal in patients with congenital lumbar spinal stenosis. Patients with congenital lumbar spinal stenosis show a significant reduction in the physiological curvature of the thoracic and lumbar spine, and the trunk leans forward. In addition to intervertebral disc degeneration and pain factors, bony spinal stenosis is also a possible factor leading to smaller LL in patients with congenital lumbar spinal stenosis. LL less than 41° can be used as the initial screening standard for congenital lumbar spinal stenosis among patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Liu ◽  
Yingjie Qi ◽  
Diarra Mohamed Diaty ◽  
Guanglei Zheng ◽  
Xiaoqiang Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: This paper is to describe percutaneous endoscopy in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis secondary to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy targeted. To investigate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous endoscopy in the treatment of this kind of lumbar spinal stenosis in elderly patients.Method: A retrospective analysis of 40 elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis secondary to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy admitted between January 2016 and January 2018 was performed. According to different surgical methods, they were divided into two groups: the control group and the endoscopy group (interlaminar approach), 20 people per group. There were 9 males and 11 females in the control group; the age of patients was 65.65±4.44years, and the average disease duration was 4.55±1.85 years. Besides, There were 10 males and 10 females in the endoscopy group; the age of patients was 67.30±4.23years, and the average disease duration was 4.95±2.04 years. Collect and count surgical-related indicators, preoperative and postoperative radiologic findings, incision visual analogue scale (VAS), lumbar and leg pain VAS, lumbar Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores of all patients.Result: A series of surgical indicators (including the operation time, the quantity of bleeding and postoperative hospital stay) in the endoscopy group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The incision VAS score in the endoscopy group was also significantly lower than that in the control group at each time after surgery (p < 0.05). Besides, compared with the control group, in the endoscopy group, the leg pain VAS score and lumbar ODI score after surgery were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, in the endoscopy group, the lumbar JOA score was significantly higher (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Percutaneous endoscopic technique is a small trauma, quick recovery, safe and effective minimally invasive surgery for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis secondary to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68
Author(s):  
Galal A. Elsayed ◽  
Esther B. Dupépé ◽  
Matthew S. Erwood ◽  
Matthew C. Davis ◽  
Samuel G. McClugage ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThe goal of this study was to analyze the effect of patient education level on functional outcomes following decompression surgery for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis.METHODSPatients with surgically decompressed symptomatic lumbar stenosis were collected in a prospective observational registry at a single institution between 2012 and 2014. Patient education level was compared to surgical outcomes to elucidate any relationships. Outcomes were defined using the Oswestry Disability Index score, back and leg pain visual analog scale (VAS) score, and the EuroQol–5 Dimensions questionnaire score.RESULTSOf 101 patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis, 27 had no college education and 74 had a college education (i.e., 2-year, 4-year, or postgraduate degree). Preoperatively, patients with no college education had statistically significantly greater back and leg pain VAS scores when compared to patients with a college education. However, there was no statistically significant difference in quality of life or disability between those with no college education and those with a college education. Postoperatively, patients in both cohorts improved in all 4 patient-reported outcomes at 3 and 12 months after treatment for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis.CONCLUSIONSDespite their education level, both cohorts showed improvement in their functional outcomes at 3 and 12 months after decompression surgery for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis.


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