Pain physician
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Treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation with Modic type I endplate changes is complex and challenging, requiring systemic and local therapies which include conservative therapy, epidural infiltrations, percutaneous therapeutic techniques, and surgical options. The clinical management of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation involving Modic type I endplate changes is uniquely challenging because it requires alleviating pain caused by both the herniated disc and the endplate osteochondritis. Through different approaches, percutaneous lumbar discectomy (PLD) and percutaneous cementoplasty (PCP) have been introduced into clinical practice as alternatives to traditional surgical and radiotherapy treatments of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation and other spine diseases. ⋯ PLD plus PCP is a feasible technique for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation with Modic type I endplate changes.
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Percutaneous full-endoscopic discectomy (PED) is being increasingly used because of its potential to minimalize soft-tissue damage and decrease hospital stay. PED using the interlaminar approach (PED-IL) at L4-L5 is performed by only a few surgeons. To the best of our knowledge, the safety and efficacy of PED-IL at L4-L5, without experience in PED via a transforaminal approach (PED-TF) has not been previously reported. ⋯ The clinical outcomes of PED-IL at L4-L5 were equal to those at L5-S1. Therefore, PED-IL is suitable to be a standard method for any type of intracanalicular disc herniation.
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Comparative Study
The Effectiveness and Safety of Selective Lumbar Decompression in Diagnostic Doubt Patients: A Retrospective Control Study.
Our previous study demonstrated that selective nerve root block (SNRB) can influence decision-making in lumbar surgery by guiding the selection of nerve roots targeted for decompression in diagnostic doubt patients (DDPs). However, further studies were needed to determine whether this selective decompression (SD) procedure would result in similar clinical outcomes and reduce the perioperative parameters and postoperative complications as compared to the non-selective decompression (NSD) procedure. ⋯ On the basis of the 5-year follow-up data, we suggest that the SD procedure guided by SNRB is an effective and safe method for the surgical treatment of DDPs. This procedure produces superior perioperative parameters when compared with the conventional NSD procedure, but has a comparable clinical outcome. Moreover, the benefits of SD surgery include fewer perioperative and postoperative complications.
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Observational Study
Endogenous Pain Facilitation Rather Than Inhibition Differs Between People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, and Controls: An Observational Study.
Commonalities in the core symptoms of fatigue and cognitive dysfunction experienced by chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, also known as ME) and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have been described. Many CFS and MS patients also experience chronic pain, which has been attributed to central sensitization in both groups of patients. However, the characteristics of pain in CFS and MS patients have not been compared. ⋯ We found differences in the characteristics of pain symptoms reported by patients with CFS and patients with MS, which suggest different underlying mechanisms. Specifically, overactive endogenous pain facilitation was characteristic of pain in patients with CFS but not in patients with MS, suggesting a greater role for central sensitization in CFS.
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Intradiscal cement leakage (ICL) is a common complication following percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). However, the risk factors for such a complication are under debate and there is no accurate predictive nomogram to predict ICL. ⋯ Greater fracture severity, cortical disruption of the endplate, absence of Kummell's disease, and higher CT values are the independent risk factors for ICL. The novel nomogram gives an accurate prediction of ICL.