Long-Term Clinical Results of Percutaneous Cervical Nucleoplasty for Cervical Radicular Pain:A Retrospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE: Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) is a minimally invasive treatment for cervical radicular pain due to a disc herniation. Preliminary results show equivalent patient-reported outcomes of PCN as compared to conventional anterior cervical discectomy. However, there is a paucity of long-term outcome data. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the long-term clinical results of PCN. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent PCN at a secondary referral center between 2010 and 2014. Before surgery and five days after surgery, numeric rating scales (NRS) for arm pain and neck pain and data on complications were collected. To determine long-term follow-up outcomes, patients were sent a questionnaire booklet containing the Core Outcome Measures Index-Neck (COMI-Neck), NRS for arm pain and neck pain, Likert-scales on patient satisfaction and questions regarding the incidence of reoperations and complications. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics were collected for 158 patients. At a median follow-up of 41.5 months (interquartile range (IQR) 27.0 to 57.5), data were available for 118 patients (74.7%). At short-term follow-up, patients that underwent PCN had a mean decrease of 3.0 on the NRS for arm pain (95% CI 2.5 to 3.6) compared to baseline, while at long-term follow-up, a mean decrease of 2.8 (95% CI 1.0 to 3.6) was observed. At the long-term follow-up, 67.8% of the patients were fully recovered from all symptoms and 93.3% remained satisfied with the PCN treatment results. The reoperation rate for recurrent disc herniation was 21.4% at long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: PCN appears to be a safe and effective treatment at short-term and long-term follow-up of a specific selection of cervical herniated discs, with an acceptable long-term reoperation rate. These study results suggest a potential role of PCN as a less invasive treatment option for cervical radicular pain due to a soft disc herniation, before anterior cervical discectomy should be considered

Augmented Reality to Improve Surgical Workflow in Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion – A Feasibility Study With Case Series

Objective Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) is a highly reproducible procedure for the fusion of spinal segments. We recently introduced the concept of “total navigation” to improve workflow and eliminate fluoroscopy. Image-guided surgery incorporating augmented reality (AR) may further facilitate workflow. In this study, we developed and evaluated a protocol to integrate AR into the workflow of MIS-TLIF. Methods A case series of 10 patients was the basis for the evaluation of a protocol to facilitate tubular MIS-TLIF by the application of AR. Surgical TLIF landmarks were marked on a preoperative computed tomography (CT)-scan using dedicated software. This marked CT scan was fused intraoperatively with the low-dose navigation CT scan using elastic image fusion, and the markers were transferred to the intraoperative scan. Our experience with this workflow and the surgical outcomes were collected. Results Our AR protocol was safely implemented in all cases. The TLIF landmarks could be preoperatively planned and transferred to the intraoperative imaging. Of the 10 cases, 1 case had additionally a synovial cyst resection and in 2 cases an additional bony decompression was performed due to central stenosis. The average procedure time was 160.6±31.9 minutes. The AR implementation added 1.72±0.37 minutes to the overall procedure time. No complications occurred. Conclusion Our findings support the idea that total navigation with AR may further facilitate the workflow, especially in cases with more complex anatomy and for teaching and training purposes. More work is needed to simplify the software and make AR integration more user-friendly

Assessing the Learning Process of Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy for Sciatica

Objective: Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) is gaining popular-ity by both surgeons and patients as a less invasive treatment option for sciatica. Concerns, however, exist for its learning curve. No previous study has assessed the learning process of PTED. Hereby we present the learning process of 3 surgeons learning PTED. Methods: This analysis was conducted alongside a multicenter randomized controlled trial. After attending a cadaveric workshop, 3 spine-dedicated surgeons started performing PTED, initially under the supervision of a senior surgeon. After each 5 cases, and up to case 20, the learning process was evaluated using the validated questionnaires (objective structured assessment of technical skills [OSATS], global operative assessment of laparoscopic skills [GOALS]) and a 10-step checklist specifically developed for PTED. Results: In total, 3 learning curve surgeons performed a total of 161 cases. Based on self-assessment, surgeons improved mostly in the domains “time and motion,” “respect for tis-sue,” and “knowledge and handling of instruments.” Learning curve surgeons were more able to detect differences in performances on the OSATS than the senior surgeon. Based on the GOALS, the biggest improvements could be seen in “depth-perception” and “autono-my.” Based on the 10-item specific checklist, all surgeons performed all 10 steps by case 10, while only 1 surgeon performed all steps adequately by case 15. Conclusion: Based on these study results, PTED appears to be successfully adopted step-wise by 3 spine-dedicated surgeons. From 15 cases on, most steps are performed adequate-ly. However, more cases might be necessary to achieve good clinical results. Validated tools are needed to determine the cutoff when a surgeon should be able to perform PTED inde-pendently

Feasibility of smart glasses in supporting spinal surgical procedures in low- and middle-income countries: experiences from East Africa.

OBJECTIVE: Telemedicine technology has been developed to allow surgeons in countries with limited resources to access expert technical guidance during surgical procedures. The authors report their initial experience using state-of-the-art wearable smart glasses with wireless capability to transmit intraoperative video content during spine surgery from sub-Saharan Africa to experts in the US. METHODS: A novel smart glasses system with integrated camera and microphone was worn by a spine surgeon in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during 3 scoliosis correction surgeries. The images were transmitted wirelessly through a compatible software system to a computer viewed by a group of fellowship-trained spine surgeons in New York City. Visual clarity was determined using a modified Snellen chart, and a percentage score was determined on the smallest line that could be read from the 8-line chart on white and black backgrounds. A 1- to 5-point scale (from 1 = unrecognizable to 5 = optimal clarity) was used to score other visual metrics assessed using a color test card including hue, contrast, and brightness. The same scoring system was used by the group to reach a consensus on visual quality of 3 intraoperative points including instruments, radiographs (ability to see pedicle screws relative to bony anatomy), and intraoperative surgical field (ability to identify bony landmarks such as transverse processes, pedicle screw starting point, laminar edge). RESULTS: All surgeries accomplished the defined goals safely with no intraoperative complications. The average download and upload connection speeds achieved in Dar es Salaam were 45.21 and 58.89 Mbps, respectively. Visual clarity with the modified white and black Snellen chart was 70.8% and 62.5%, respectively. The average scores for hue, contrast, and brightness were 2.67, 3.33, and 2.67, respectively. Visualization quality of instruments, radiographs, and intraoperative surgical field were 3.67, 1, and 1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Application of smart glasses for telemedicine offers a promising tool for surgical education and remote training, especially in low- and middle-income countries. However, this study highlights some limitations of this technology, including optical resolution, intraoperative lighting, and internet connection challenges. With continued collaboration between clinicians and industry, future iterations of smart glasses technology will need to address these issues to stimulate robust clinical utilization

Cost-effectiveness of full endoscopic versus open discectomy for sciatica

OBJECTIVE: To assess the costs and cost-effectiveness of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) compared with open microdiscectomy among patients with sciatica. METHODS: This economic evaluation was conducted alongside a 12-month multicentre randomised controlled trial with a non-inferiority design, in which patients were randomised to PTED or open microdiscectomy. Patients were aged from 18 to 70 years and had at least 6 weeks of radiating leg pain caused by lumbar disc herniation. Effect measures included leg pain and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), as derived using the EQ-5D-5L. Costs were measured from a societal perspective. Missing data were multiply imputed, bootstrapping was used to estimate statistical uncertainty, and various sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the robustness. RESULTS: Of the 613 patients enrolled, 304 were randomised to PTED and 309 to open microdiscectomy. Statistically significant differences in leg pain and QALYs were found in favour of PTED at 12 months follow-up (leg pain: 6.9; 95% CI 1.3 to 12.6; QALYs: 0.040; 95% CI 0.007 to 0.074). Surgery costs were higher for PTED than for open microdiscectomy (ie, €4500/patient vs €4095/patient). All other disaggregate costs as well as total societal costs were lower for PTED than for open microdiscectomy. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves indicated that the probability of PTED being less costly and more effective (ie, dominant) compared with open microdiscectomy was 99.4% for leg pain and 99.2% for QALYs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that PTED is more cost-effective from the societal perspective compared with open microdiscectomy for patients with sciatica. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02602093