One month safety study of ExoFlo injection for the treatment of lumbar or cervical radiculopathy in the epidural space

This One month safety study addresses any potential risks behind the use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicle isolate product (ExoFlo Direct Biologics) as a treatment for cervical and lumbar radiculopathy. Ten healthy adults were treated with ExoFlo injections for cervical radiculopathy (n=5) and lumbar radiculopathy (n=5). Follow up occurred twenty-four hours, three days, one week, three weeks and one month post injection. By the one month follow-up, the average patient improved 55% in BPI, 55.2% in QD, 25.4% in UEFS, 19.75% in ODI and 26% in LEFS. There were no complications or adverse events by the end of the study and no patient exhibited worsening radiculopathy. Patients will continue to be followed for at least six months post injection.

Changes of Endothelin-1 and Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Concentrations in Patients with Cervical Radiculopathy after Wrist-Ankle Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Hot Compression with Chinese Herbal Medicine

Objective. This study aimed at investigating the effects of wrist-ankle acupuncture-moxibustion and hot compression with Chinese herbal medicine on pain symptoms, endothelin-1 (ET-1), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) concentrations of patients with cervical radiculopathy (CR). Methods. A total of 82 patients with CR were randomly divided into the study group and control group, with 41 cases in each group. The control group was treated with standard treatment. In addition to standard treatment, the study group was additionally treated with wrist-ankle acupuncture-moxibustion and hot compression with Chinese herbal medicine. The ET-1 and CGRP concentrations in the plasma were measured by the radioimmunoassay method. Results. The total response rate in the study group and the control group was 97.55% and 82.93%, respectively. The study group showed lower scores of the visual analogue scale (VAS), Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), numbness intensity assessment, and neck disability index (NDI) but higher scores of the Short Form-36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaire than the control group after treatment. Besides, the study group exhibited reduced ET-1 and substance P (SP) concentrations concomitant with increased CGRP and β-endorphin (β-EP) concentrations compared with the control group. Conclusion. Wrist-ankle acupuncture-moxibustion and hot compression with Chinese herbal medicine could effectively alleviate the pain of CR patients, affect ET-1 and CGRP concentrations, promote the recovery of cervical function, and improve the quality of life.

Deep Learning-Based Cervical Spine Posterior Percutaneous Endoscopic Disc Nucleus Resection for the Treatment of Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy

In the past 10 years, the technology of percutaneous spine endoscopy has been continuously developed. The indications have expanded from simple lumbar disc herniation to various degenerative diseases of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Traditional surgery for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy includes anterior cervical decompression surgery, anterior cervical decompression plus fusion surgery, and posterior limited fenestration surgery. This article mainly studies the treatment of cervical spondylosis caused by radiculopathy caused by the nucleus resection of the posterior cervical spine percutaneous spinal endoscopy based on deep learning. In the PPECD group, the height of the intervertebral cavity was measured before the operation and during the final follow-up, and the height change of the intervertebral cavity was evaluated. The relative angle and relative displacement of the sagittal plane of the operation segment in the PPECD group were measured, and the stability was evaluated. Using the cervical spine X-ray Kelvin degeneration evaluation criteria, before and during the final follow-up operation, the degeneration of the adjacent segments of the two groups was evaluated. A retrospective analysis of 26 cases of cervical radiculopathy that met the criteria for diagnosis, inclusion, and exclusion was reviewed. Among them, 11 cases were treated with PPECD surgery; 15 cases were treated with ACDF surgery. According to the evaluation method of Odom, the excellent rate and the good rate of the two groups were compared. According to the location of the lesion, the nerve detection or dull tip device is exposed under the armpit or shoulder of the nerve root, and the protruding nucleus pulposus tissue is explored and removed, and annulus fibrosus is performed as needed. After hemostasis was detected, the surgical instruments were removed and the surgical incision was completely sutured. Before the operation and 3 months after the operation, the final follow-up made no significant difference in the overall average height of the intervertebral cavity (F = 2.586, P > 0.05 ). The results show that posterior foramen expansion is an effective surgical method for the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, but surgical adaptation requires strict management. In order to achieve satisfactory results, appropriate cases must be selected.

Prediction of outcome after spinal surgery—using The Dialogue Support based on the Swedish national quality register

Purpose To evaluate the predictive precision of the Dialogue Support, a tool for additional help in shared decision-making before surgery of the degenerative spine. Methods Data in Swespine (Swedish national quality registry) of patients operated between 2007 and 2019 found the development of prediction algorithms based on logistic regression analyses, where socio-demographic and baseline variables were included. The algorithms were tested in four diagnostic groups: lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and cervical radiculopathy. By random selection, 80% of the study population was used for the prediction of outcome and then tested against the actual outcome of the remaining 20%. Outcome measures were global assessment of pain (GA), and satisfaction with outcome. Results Calibration plots demonstrated a high degree of concordance on a group level. On an individual level, ROC curves showed moderate predictive capacity with AUC (area under the curve) values 0.67–0.68 for global assessment and 0.6–0.67 for satisfaction. Conclusion The Dialogue Support can serve as an aid to both patient and surgeon when discussing and deciding on surgical treatment of degenerative conditions in the lumbar and cervical spine. Level of evidence I.

Intervertebral Foramen Width Is an Important Factor in Deciding Additional Uncinate Process Resection in ACDF—a Retrospective Study

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been established as a classic procedure for the management of cervical radiculopathy. However, it is unclear whether combined uncinate process resection (UPR) is necessary for treating cervical radiculopathy. Here, we investigated the clinical outcome of ACDF combined with UPR compared to ACDF alone to determine the necessity of UPR in treating cervical radiculopathy.Hypothesis: Uncinate process resection may be necessary in certain patients along with ACDF to achieve better clinical outcomes of cervical radiculopathy.Patients and Methods: Fifty-five patients underwent ACDF with UPR, and 126 patients without UPR were reviewed. The width and height of the intervertebral foramen were measured by 45° oblique X-rays. We also measured the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and visual analog scale (VAS) score. C2–C7 Cobb angles were obtained from all patients pre- and post-operatively. Meanwhile, linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the clinical outcomes and the intervertebral foramen width before surgery.Results: Linear regression analysis indicated that the improvement in the JOA and VAS scores was irrelevant to both the pre-operative width of the intervertebral foramen (wIVF) and the height of the intervertebral foramen (hIVF) in the ACDF+UPR group. However, pre-operative wIVF was associated with post-operative JOA and VAS scores in the ACDF alone group. Those with pre-operative wIVF <3 mm in the ACDF group had the least improvement in post-operative clinical symptoms due to the change in wIVF (P > 0.05). The ACDF group whose wIVF was over 3 mm showed similar clinical outcomes to the ACDF + UPR group, and wIVF significantly increased post-operatively (P < 0.05). The fusion rate and C2–C7 Cobb angles did not show significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05).Discussion: Our current findings suggest that UPR should be considered when wIVF is <3 mm pre-operatively. However, there is no need to sacrifice the uncovertebral joint in ACDF when the pre-operative wIVF is over 3 mm.Level of Evidence: Level III.