Treatment of degenerative lumbar spine diseases with percutaneous PEEK rod and UBE: Four case reports.

RATIONALE

Traditional posterior lumbar fusion surgery can cause long-term complications such as muscle atrophy and adjacent segment degeneration due to the damage to the paraspinal muscles and rigid fixation.

PATIENT CONCERNS

The 4 patients in this case report all presented with the chief complaint of low back pain accompanied by lower limb pain.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was diagnosed with lumbar degenerative diseases through clinical manifestations, imaging examinations, and physical examinations, including lumbar disc herniation, lumbar instability, and lumbar spondylolisthesis.

INTERVENTIONS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 4 patients who underwent percutaneous polyether ether ketone (PEEK) rod pedicle screw fixation system combined with unilateral biportal endoscopic technique for lumbar degenerative diseases in our hospital from May 2022 to September 2022. Surgical data, imaging changes, and follow-up results were statistically analyzed.

OUTCOMES

All surgeries were successfully completed, with all 4 patients undergoing single-segment fixation. The mean operation time was 162.50 ± 27.54 minutes, intraoperative blood loss was 70±24.49 mL, average bed rest time was 2.25 days, and average hospital stay was 5.5 days. The Visual Analogue Scale scores for low back pain and leg pain and the Oswestry Disability Index of the patients showed a gradually decreasing trend after surgery, and were significantly improved at the last follow-up compared with those before surgery, with statistically significant differences (P < .05). There were no significant changes in the cross-sectional area of the multifidus muscle, fat infiltration rate, range of motion of the operated segment, and disc height index at the last follow-up compared to preoperative values (P > .05). No complications, such as screw loosening or PEEK rod breakage occurred at the last follow-up.

LESSONS

Percutaneous PEEK rod pedicle screw fixation system combined with unilateral biportal endoscopic technique is feasible for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases.