• Rinko Kokubo, Kyongsong Kim, Toyohiko Isu, Daijiro Morimoto, Naotaka Iwamoto, Shiro Kobayashi, and Akio Morita.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Chiba Hokuso Hospital, Nippon Medical School, Inzai City, Chiba, Japan. Electronic address: rin-ko927@nms.ac.jp.
• World Neurosurg. 2017 Feb 1; 98: 132-139.

ObjectiveIn the very elderly, their general condition and poor compliance with drug regimens can render the treatment of low back pain (LBP) difficult. We report the effectiveness of a less-invasive treatment for intractable LBP from superior cluneal nerve entrapment neuropathy (SCN-EN) and gluteus medius muscle (GMeM) pain.Patients And MethodsBetween April 2013 and March 2015, we treated 17 consecutive elders with LBP, buttock pain, and leg pain. They were 4 men and 13 women ranging in age from 85 to 91 years (mean 86.6 years). We carefully ascertained that their symptoms were attributable to SCN-EN and GMeM pain. The median follow-up period was 21.5 ± 12.2 months (range 2-35 months).ResultsSCN-EN was diagnosed in 15 patients (28 sites) and GMeM pain in 14 (27 sites). In 5 patients, we obtained symptom control by local block (Numerical Rating Scale for LBP: declined from 7.8 to 0.8 [P < 0.05], Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire score: declined from 16.5 to 5.2). The other 12 were operated under local anesthesia (SCN neurolysis, GMeM decompression). As 3 patients reported the persistence of leg pain postoperatively, they subsequently underwent peroneal nerve neurolysis and surgery for tarsal tunnel syndrome. These treatments resulted in significantly symptom abatement (Numerical Rating Scale: from 8.2 to 1.7, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire score: from 12.8 to 8.6; P < 0.05).ConclusionsEven very old patients with intractable LBP, buttock pain, and leg pain due to SCN-EN or GMeM pain can be treated successfully by peripheral block and less-invasive surgery under local anesthesia.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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