Objective To describe the full-endoscopic lumbar foraminoplasty with midline skin incision (FEFM) and lateral recess decompression procedure and to report its clinical outcomes at the 1-year follow-up.
Methods Consecutive patients with lumbar foraminal and/or lateral recess stenosis who underwent FEFM procedures were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) of back and leg pain and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) up to 1 year postoperatively. The complications and recurrence rate were also recorded.
Results A total of 30 cases (51 levels) were included (L3–4, 6 cases [11.8%]; L4–5, 23 [45.1%]; L5–S1, 22 cases [43.1%]). VAS scores collected at preoperative, postoperative day 1, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year were 9.16, 1.7, 1.36, 1.3, and 1.43, respectively. The ODI scores collected at preoperative, postoperative 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year were 46.63, 11.5, 10.66, and 10.46, respectively (p<0.05). The mean operation time was 88.7 minutes (range, 45–152 minutes). The length of hospital stay was 1.21 days (range, 1–3 days). No immediate complications were identified, and no patients experienced a recurrence of symptoms requiring revision surgery.
Conclusion FEFM is an effective procedure for treating foraminal and/or lateral recess stenosis. It demonstrates the capability to decompress both bilateral foraminal and lateral recess stenosis through a single-entry point.
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Objective To investigate risk factors associated with postoperative restenosis after full endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy (FELF) in patients with lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS).
Methods A single-center, retrospective case-control study was conducted on patients diagnosed with foraminal stenosis who underwent FELF between August 2019 and April 2022. The study included 56 patients, comprising 18 cases and 38 controls. Clinical data, radiologic assessments, and surgical types were compared between the groups. The cutoff values of radiologic parameters that differentiate the 2 groups were investigated.
Results No significant difference in age, sex distribution, or presence of adjacent segment disease or grade I spondylolisthesis was observed between the groups. Cases had a higher degree of disc wedging angle (DWA) (3.0° ± 1.1° vs. 0.5° ± 1.4°, p < 0.001), larger coronal Cobb angle (CCA) (8.8° ± 5.1° vs. 4.7° ± 2.5°, p = 0.004), and smaller segmental lumbar lordosis (SLL) than controls (11.0 ± 7.4 vs. 18.0 ± 5.4, p = 0.001). Optimal cutoff values for DWA, CCA, and SLL were estimated as 1.8°, 7.9°, and 17.1°, respectively. A significant difference in surgical types was observed between cases and controls (p = 0.004), with the case group having a higher distribution of patients undergoing discectomy in addition to TELF.
Conclusion The study identified potential risk factors for restenosis after FELF in patients with LFS, including higher DWA, larger CCA, smaller SLL angle. We believe that discectomy should be perform with caution during FELF, as it can lead to subsequent restenosis.
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