Personalized Interventional Surgery of the Lumbar Spine: A Perspective on Minimally Invasive and Neuroendoscopic Decompression for Spinal Stenosis.

Pain generator-based lumbar spinal decompression surgery is the backbone of modern spine care. In contrast to traditional image-based medical necessity criteria for spinal surgery, assessing the severity of neural element encroachment, instability, and deformity, staged management of common painful degenerative lumbar spine conditions is likely to be more durable and cost-effective. Targeting validated pain generators can be accomplished with simplified decompression procedures associated with lower perioperative complications and long-term revision rates. In this perspective article, the authors summarize the current concepts of successful management of spinal stenosis patients with modern transforaminal endoscopic and translaminar minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques. They represent the consensus statements of 14 international surgeon societies, who have worked in collaborative teams in an open peer-review model based on a systematic review of the existing literature and grading the strength of its clinical evidence. The authors found that personalized clinical care protocols for lumbar spinal stenosis rooted in validated pain generators can successfully treat most patients with sciatica-type back and leg pain including those who fail to meet traditional image-based medical necessity criteria for surgery since nearly half of the surgically treated pain generators are not shown on the preoperative MRI scan. Common pain generators in the lumbar spine include (a) an inflamed disc, (b) an inflamed nerve, (c) a hypervascular scar, (d) a hypertrophied superior articular process (SAP) and ligamentum flavum, (e) a tender capsule, (f) an impacting facet margin, (g) a superior foraminal facet osteophyte and cyst, (h) a superior foraminal ligament impingement, (i) a hidden shoulder osteophyte. The position of the key opinion authors of the perspective article is that further clinical research will continue to validate pain generator-based treatment protocols for lumbar spinal stenosis. The endoscopic technology platform enables spine surgeons to directly visualize pain generators, forming the basis for more simplified targeted surgical pain management therapies. Limitations of this care model are dictated by appropriate patient selection and mastering the learning curve of modern MIS procedures. Decompensated deformity and instability will likely continue to be treated with open corrective surgery. Vertically integrated outpatient spine care programs are the most suitable setting for executing such pain generator-focused programs.

Evaluación funcional mediante la escala de oswestry en pacientescon artrodesis postero-lateral por canal lumbar estrecho / Functional evaluation by oswestry disability index in patients with postero-lateral arthrodesis for lumbar spinal stenosis

OBJETIVOS: Establecer la evolución funcional y condición neurológica con la escala de Oswestry en la biomecánica de la columna lumbar en pacientes que fueron intervenidos mediante descompresión neurológica y artrodesis posterolateral más estabilización con tornillos transpediculares por presentar diagnóstico de canal lumbar estrecho (CLE) en el Hospital Obrero N°1 de la ciudad de La Paz, Bolivia, durante las gestiones 2012 a 2014. Identificar los factores clínicos, socio-demográficos de pacientes en los cuales se realizó artrodesis en columna vertebral por canal lumbar estrechó. MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo, de corte transversal de pacientes en los cuales se realizó artrodesis postero-lateral por CLE en el servicio de ortopedia traumatología entre las gestiones 2012-2014, en el Hospital Obrero Nro1. Se evaluó 16 pacientes que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. RESULTADOS: Según valoración de la escala de Oswestry: un 56% de pacientes tienen limitación funcional mínima y un 6% discapacidad a los 6 meses post operatorio. El género más afectado fue el femenino con un 57%, la edad promedio fue de 64 años, el tiempo previo al tratamiento quirúrgico fue mayor a 12 meses en el 63%, los niveles instrumentados más frecuentes fueron de L3-L5 y L5-S1 con un 25%. CONCLUSIONES: Se realizaron técnicas quirúrgicas descompresivas: laminectomia, foraminectomia con instrumentación. El índice de discapacidad de Oswestry permite valorar que la técnica fue efectiva debido a que los pacientes presentan una evolución funcional sin limitaciones en su vida cotidiana en la mayoría de los casos.

OBJECTIVES: To stablish the functional evolution and neurological condition through Oswestrydisability index (ODI)inthe biomechanics of the lumbar spine in patients who underwent neurological decompression and posterolateral arthrodesisand transpedicular screws stabilization by presenting lumbar spinalstenosis(LSS) in Obrero Hospital N° 1, La Paz city, Bolivia. To identify clinical, social and demographic factors of patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis in which postero-lateral arthrodesis was performed. METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study between 2012 and 2014 was conducted. Patients who were treated with postero-lateral arthrodesis for lumbar spinal stenosis, in the traumatology service at Obrero Hospital in La Paz city were considered. We evaluated 16 patients who met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: According to Oswestrydesability index, 56% of the patients have minimal functional limitation and 6% of disability at 6-month postoperative. The most affected gender were females with 57%, the average age was 64 years, prior time to surgical treatment was more than 12 months in 63%, and the most frequent instrumented levels were L3-L5 and L5-S1 with 25%. CONCLUSIONS: We performed decompressive surgical techniques: laminectomy, foraminotomy with instrumentation. Oswestry disability index helped to determine the applied techniqueswere effective. In most cases, patients displayed a functional evolution without limitations in their daily lives.

Fracturas de la extremidad distal del radio: enclavijado Kapandji un metodo de tratamiento opcional / Distal radio fractures; optional treatment with the Kapandji method

Se realizo un seguimiento prospectivo por el lapso de un ano a los pacientes que fueron atendidos en el Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Obrero Nro. 1 de la ciudad de La Paz, con el diagnostico de fractura de la extremidad distal. Se trata de una fractura muy frecuente, que tiene multiples variedades de tratamiento aparentemente facil y de una evolucion, la mas de las veces Torpida. Un total de 217 pacientes fueron atendidos por esta consulta, de los cuales,198 fueron tratados con reduccion de cruenta e inmovilizacion con aparato de yeso, 19 pacientes fueron tratados con el metodo de enclavijado intrafocal "en consola". La evaluacion de los pacientes tratados con este ultimo metodo fue demostrativamente mejor, tomando en cuenta los parametros, anatomicos radiologicos, funcionales y esteticos.