Lumbar Endoscopic Unilateral Laminectomy for Bilateral Decompression in Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

INTRODUCTION: Degenerative spondylolisthesis is an important cause of chronic low-back and radiculopathy in the adult US population. Open decompression with or without fusion is considered the standard for management, yet optimal treatment remains controversial. Full endoscopic spine surgery offers an alternative surgical approach with possible advantages. There is a paucity of data on the use of FESS in degenerative spondylolisthesis. Therefore, we present the clinical and radiographic outcomes of 73 patients with low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis with severe stenosis, who underwent lumbar endoscopic unilateral laminectomy for bilateral decompression. METHODS: Patients with low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent a lumbar endoscopic ULBD at six spine centers in North America were included in this study. Patients were followed up at 3, 9, and 12 months. Static and dynamic imaging was performed and evaluated routinely before surgery to identify the pathology and grade of spondylolisthesis. Patient reported outcomes were prospectively collected. RESULTS: This study included 73 patients from six spine centers. Sixty-two patients were diagnosed with grade 1 spondylolisthesis while 11 were diagnosed with grade 2 spondylolisthesis. Postoperatively 70 patients reported improved symptoms and pain resolution while three patients reported worse pain. Mean VAS back, VAS leg, and ODI scores showed a statistically significant improvement at 3, 9, and 12-months when compared to the preoperative period. Radiographically, no patient in our study had progression of grade of spondylolisthesis. CONCLUSION: Patients with low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis causing severe stenosis can safely be treated with lumbar endoscopic unilateral laminectomy for bilateral decompression. Head-to-head trial should be undertaken to provide higher level of clinical evidence.

Spatial Computing for preoperative planning and postoperative evaluation of single-position lateral approaches in spinal revision surgery.

Spatial computing (SC) in a surgical context offers reconstructed interactive four-dimensional models of radiological imaging. Preoperative and postoperative assessment with SC can offer more insight into personalized surgical approaches. Spine surgery has benefitted from the use of perioperative SC assessment. Herein, we describe the use of SC to perform a perioperative assessment of a revision spinal deformity surgery. A 79-year-old wheelchair-bound male presented to the neurosurgery clinic with a history of chronic lumbar pain associated with bilateral lower extremity weakness. His surgical history is significant for an L2-L5 lumbar decompression with posterior fixation 1 year prior. On examination, there were signs of thoracic myelopathy. Imaging revealed his previous instrumentation, pseudoarthrosis, and cord compression. We perform a two-staged operation to address the thoracic spinal cord compression and myelopathy, pseudoarthrosis, and malalignment with a lack of global spinal harmony. His imaging is driven by a spatial computing and SC environment and offers support for the diagnosis of his L2-3 and L4-5 pseudoarthrosis on the reconstructed SC-based computed tomography scan. SC enabled the assessment of the configuration of the psoas muscle and course of critical neurovascular structures in addition to graft sizing, trajectory and approach, evaluation of the configuration and durability of the anterior longitudinal ligament, and the overlying abdominal viscera. SC increases the familiarity of the patient's specific anatomy and enhances perioperative assessment. As such, SC can be used to preoperatively plan for spinal revision surgery.