scholarly journals Clinical Outcomes of Incidental Dural Tears During Lumbar Microdiscectomy

Cureus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uzay Erdoğan ◽  
Aykut Akpinar
Author(s):  
Ashutosh Singhal ◽  
Mark Bernstein

Background:Outpatient surgery saves the risk of nosocomial complications and health care dollars. Patients undergoing lumbar microsurgical discectomy are excellent candidates for outpatient surgery. The object of this study was to examine the feasibility of performing lumbar microdiscectomy on an outpatient protocol and to examine the potential savings associated with such a protocol.Methods:From February 1997 to September, 2001, 122 consecutive patients of the senior author were entered into a protocol of outpatient lumbar microdiscectomy. Only elective cases were considered for this study. Patients were excluded if they had significant co-morbidities, lived a significant distance out of town, or if their surgery was scheduled too late in the day. Success was defined as discharge home from the day-surgery unit approximately four hours after surgery.Results:During the study period, 150 elective lumbar microdiscectomies were performed. Twenty-four patients were excluded based on the above criteria and four patients requested not to participate in the study. Of the remaining 122, 116 successfully completed the protocol (95.1%). Six patients were admitted from the day surgery unit; two patients with dural tears and four patients with anaesthetic side-effects. No patient was readmitted to hospital after discharge and no complications of early discharge were observed. There was a total reduction in hospitalization of 1.2 nights per elective procedure considering the 150 patients, when compared with the hospitalization times prior to outpatient lumbar microdiscectomy.Conclusion:Lumbar microdiscectomy can be performed safely as an outpatient procedure, resulting in a substantial reduction in hospitalization times.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-121
Author(s):  
Garrett K. Harada ◽  
Jannat M. Khan ◽  
Christian Vetter ◽  
Bryce A. Basques ◽  
Arash J. Sayari ◽  
...  

Study Design: Retrospective cohort. Objectives: To determine how the number of fused intervertebral levels affects radiographic parameters and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing open posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) for low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study on patients who underwent open PLF for low-grade spondylolisthesis at a single institution from 2011 to 2018. Patients were divided into groups based on number of levels fused during their procedure (1, 2, or 3 or more). Preoperative and postoperative spinopelvic radiographic parameters, patient-reported outcomes (Visual Analog Scale [VAS]-back, VAS-leg, Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]), and postoperative complications were compared. Results: Of the 316 patients eligible (203 one-level, 95 two-level, 18 three or more levels), change in initial postoperative to final pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis was greatest in 2-level fusions ( P = .039), while 3 or more level fusions had worse final pelvic tilt measures ( P = .021). In addition, multilevel fusions had worse final VAS-back scores (2-level: P = .015; 3 or more levels: P = .011), higher rates of dural tears (2-level: P = .001), reoperation (2-level: P = .039), and discharge to facility (3 or more levels: P = .047) when compared with 1-level fusions. Conclusions: Patients in multilevel fusions experienced less improvement in back pain, had more complications, and were more commonly discharged to a facility compared with single-level PLF patients. These findings are important for operative planning, for setting appropriate preoperative expectations, and for risk stratification in patients undergoing posterior lumbar fusion for low-grade spondylolisthesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (22;3) ◽  
pp. 295-304
Author(s):  
Yong Ahn

Background: Transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy (TELD) is regarded as an effective treatment option for soft lumbar disc herniation (LDH). There have been few studies evaluating the long-term outcomes of endoscopic procedures compared with conventional surgery. Objectives: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the clinical outcomes of TELD compared with those of open lumbar microdiscectomy. Study Design: Between January 2009 and September 2011, 335 consecutive patients with symptomatic LDH were treated with decompressive discectomy, either TELD or open microdiscectomy. Patients were prospectively entered into the clinical database and their records were retrospectively reviewed. Setting: Hospital and outpatient surgical center. Methods: Data from 298 patients who were treated with decompressive discectomy, either TELD or open microdiscectomy, were evaluated with a minimum 5-year follow-up period. Among them, 146 patients were treated using TELD (TELD group), and the remaining 152 patients using open microdiscectomy (Open group). Perioperative data and clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and the modified Macnab criteria. Results: The VAS and ODI significantly improved in both groups. The rate of excellent or good outcomes was 88.36% and 87.5% in the TELD and Open group, respectively. The reoperation rate was 4.2% and 3.3% in the TELD and Open group, respectively. There were no significant differences in the clinical outcomes; however, operative time, hospital stay, and time to return to work were significantly shorter in the TELD group (P < 0.01). Limitations: First, the patient selection was not randomized; therefore, the risk of bias might be increased. Second, this study lacks analysis of the radiographic changes related to the degenerative change over the long-term follow-up period. Conclusions: The long-term results of TELD for soft LDH are comparable to those of conventional open microdiscectomy. The selective endoscopic discectomy technique under local anesthesia provides the typical advantages of minimally invasive procedures such as a shorter operation time, hospital stay, and recovery time. Key words: Endoscopic, discectomy, hospital stay, lumbar disc, microscopic, operative time, return to work, transforaminal


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Binger ◽  
Jennifer Kent-Walsh

Abstract Clinicians and researchers long have recognized that teaching communication partners how to provide AAC supports is essential to AAC success. One way to improve clinical outcomes is to select appropriate skills to teach communication partners. Although this sometimes seems like it should be a straightforward component of any intervention program, deciding which skills to teach partners can present multiple challenges. In this article, we will troubleshoot common issues and discuss how to select skills systematically, resulting in the desired effects for both communication partners and clients.


2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
Lynn E. Fox

Abstract Linguistic interaction models suggest that interrelationships arise between structural language components and between structural and pragmatic components when language is used in social contexts. The linguist, David Crystal (1986, 1987), has proposed that these relationships are central, not peripheral, to achieving desired clinical outcomes. For individuals with severe communication challenges, erratic or unpredictable relationships between structural and pragmatic components can result in atypical patterns of interaction between them and members of their social communities, which may create a perception of disablement. This paper presents a case study of a woman with fluent, Wernicke's aphasia that illustrates how attention to patterns of linguistic interaction may enhance AAC intervention for adults with aphasia.


Author(s):  
Charles Ellis ◽  
Molly Jacobs

Health disparities have once again moved to the forefront of America's consciousness with the recent significant observation of dramatically higher death rates among African Americans with COVID-19 when compared to White Americans. Health disparities have a long history in the United States, yet little consideration has been given to their impact on the clinical outcomes in the rehabilitative health professions such as speech-language pathology/audiology (SLP/A). Consequently, it is unclear how the absence of a careful examination of health disparities in fields like SLP/A impacts the clinical outcomes desired or achieved. The purpose of this tutorial is to examine the issue of health disparities in relationship to SLP/A. This tutorial includes operational definitions related to health disparities and a review of the social determinants of health that are the underlying cause of such disparities. The tutorial concludes with a discussion of potential directions for the study of health disparities in SLP/A to identify strategies to close the disparity gap in health-related outcomes that currently exists.


2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 121-123
Author(s):  
Jeri A. Logemann

Evidence-based practice requires astute clinicians to blend our best clinical judgment with the best available external evidence and the patient's own values and expectations. Sometimes, we value one more than another during clinical decision-making, though it is never wise to do so, and sometimes other factors that we are unaware of produce unanticipated clinical outcomes. Sometimes, we feel very strongly about one clinical method or another, and hopefully that belief is founded in evidence. Some beliefs, however, are not founded in evidence. The sound use of evidence is the best way to navigate the debates within our field of practice.


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