Radiological and clinical outcomes of midline lumbar fusion on sagittal lumbar-pelvic parameters for degenerative lumbar diseases

BACKGROUND Improving the sagittal lumbar-pelvic parameters after fusion surgery is important for improving clinical outcomes.The impact of midline lumbar fusion(MIDLF)on sagittal lumbar-pelvic alignment for the management of degenerative lumbar diseases is still unknown.AIM To analyze the effects of short-segment MIDLF and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(MIS-TLIF)on sagittal lumbar-pelvic parameters.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 63 patients with degenerative lumbar diseases who underwent single-segment MIDLF or MIS-TLIF.The imaging data of patients were collected before surgery and at the final follow-up.The radiological sagittal parameters included the lumbar lordosis(LL),lower LL,L4 slope(L4S),L5 slope(L5S),L5 incidence(L5I),L1 axis and S1 distance(LASD),pelvic incidence(PI),pelvic tilt(PT),sacral slope(SS),and PI-LL mismatch(PI-LL).Additionally,the clinical outcomes,including lower back and leg pain visual analog scale(VAS)and Oswestry disability index(ODI)scores,were also analyzed.RESULTS In both groups,LL and Lower LL significantly increased,while L5I and LASD significantly decreased at the final follow-up compared to that recorded prior to operation(P<0.05).In the MIDLF group,L4S significantly decreased compared to that recorded prior to operation(P<0.05),while the mean SS significantly increased and the PT significantly decreased compared to that recorded prior to operation(P<0.05).In the MIS-TLIF group,SS slightly increased and the mean PT value decreased compared to that recorded prior to operation,but without a statistically significant difference(P>0.05).However,the PI-LL in both groups was significantly reduced compared to that recorded prior to operation(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the sagittal lumbar-pelvic parameters between the two groups prior to operation and at the final follow-up(P>0.05).In addition,the change in sagittal lumbar-pelvic parameters did not differ significantly,except forΔLASD within the two groups(P>0.05).The mean lower back and leg pain VAS and ODI scores in both groups were significantly improved three months after surgery and at the final follow-up.Though the mean ODI score in the MIDLF group three months after surgery was slightly higher than that in the MIS-TLIF group,there was no significant difference between the two groups at the final follow-up.CONCLUSION Short-segment MIDLF and MIS-TLIF can equally improve sagittal lumbar parameters such as LL,Lower LL,L5I,and LASD in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases.However,MIDLF had a larger impact on pelvic parameters than MIS-TLIF.

Thoracolumbar surgery for degenerative spine diseases complicated with tethered cord syndrome:A case report

BACKGROUND Tethered cord syndrome(TCS) secondary to split cord malformation(SCM) is rare in adulthood.There is as yet no consensus about the optimal treatment method for adult patients with SCMs and degenerative spine diseases such as lumbar stenosis,spondylolisthesis and ossification of the ligamentum flavum(OLF).The tethered cord poses a great challenge to the decompression and fusion procedures for the intraoperative stretching of the spinal cord,which might lead to deteriorated neural deficits.Here,we report on a case to add our treatment experience to the medical literature.CASE SUMMARY We treated a 67-year-old female patient with type II SCM suffering from lumbar disc herniation,degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis and thoracic OLF.The patient underwent thoracolumbar spinal fusion and decompression surgery for severe lower back pain,extensive left lower limb muscle weakness and intermittent claudication.After the thoracolumbar surgery,without stretching the tethered cord,the patient achieved complete relief of pain and lower extremity weakness at final follow-up.CONCLUSION For adult patients with underlying TCS secondary to SCM coupled with thoracic OLF and lumbar spondylolisthesis,a thoracolumbar fusion surgery could be safe and effective with the tethered cord untreated.It is critical to design individualized surgical protocols to reduce the stretch of the low-lying spinal cord.