Comparison of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression and short-segment fusion in the treatment of elderly degenerative lumbar scoliosis with spinal stenosis

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 906 - 9
• Main Authors: Li, Pengfei, Tong, Yuexin, Chen, Ying, Zhang, Zhezhe, Song, Youxin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 28.10.2021; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Aged; Anesthesia; Back pain; Care and treatment; Clinical outcomes; Decompression; Decompression, Surgical; Degenerative disc disease; Degenerative lumbar scoliosis; Demography; Endoscopy; Fusion; Geriatric patients; Humans; Immobilization; Intervertebral discs; Lumbar Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging; Lumbar Vertebrae - surgery; Methods; Middle Aged; Minimally invasive surgery; Musculoskeletal diseases; Older people; Patient outcomes; Patients; Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression; Retrospective Studies; Scoliosis; Scoliosis - diagnostic imaging; Scoliosis - surgery; Spinal canal; Spinal fusion; Spinal Fusion - adverse effects; Spinal stenosis; Spinal Stenosis - complications; Spinal Stenosis - diagnostic imaging; Spinal Stenosis - surgery; Statistical analysis; Stenosis; Surgery; Treatment Outcome; China; Degenerative lumbar scoliosis; Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression; Fusion; Spinal stenosis; Geriatric patients
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/s12891-021-04804-6

Degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) combined with spinal stenosis is increasingly being diagnosed in the elderly. However, the appropriate surgical approach remains somewhat controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the results of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression (PTED) and short-segment fusion for the treatment of mild degenerative lumbar scoliosis combined with spinal stenosis in older adults over 60 years of age. Of the 54 consecutive patients included, 30 were treated with PTED and 24 were treated with short-segment open fusion. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months (12-24 months). Patient demographics, and perioperative and clinical outcomes were recorded. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, and modified Macnab criteria were used to assess clinical outcomes. At the same time, changes in disc height, segmental lordosis, coronal Cobb angle, and lumbar lordosis were compared. The mean age was 68.7 ± 6.5 years in the PTED group and 66.6 ± 5.1 years in the short-segment fusion group. At 1 year postoperatively, both groups showed significant improvement in VAS and ODI scores compared with preoperative scores (p < 0.05), with no statistically significant difference between groups. However, VAS-Back and ODI were lower in the PTED group at 1 week postoperatively (p < 0.05). According to the modified Macnab criteria, the excellent rates were 90.0 and 91.6% in the PTED and short-segment fusion groups, respectively. However, the PTED group had a significantly shorter operative time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative bed rest, and complication rate. There was no significant difference in radiological parameters between the two groups preoperatively. At the last follow-up, there were significant differences in disc height, segmental lordosis at the L4-5 and L5-S1 levels, and Cobb angle between the two groups. Both PTED and short-segment fusion for mild degenerative lumbar scoliosis combined with spinal stenosis have shown good clinical results. PTED under local anesthesia may be an effective supplement to conventional fusion surgery in elderly patients with DLS combined with spinal stenosis.