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Preoperative alignment of spine in sagittal plane does not affect JOA scores after laminotomy
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Pain scores were unaffected by the preoperative alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane after microendoscopic laminotomy in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis, according to the results of a recently publish study.
Researchers retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected surgical data for 88 patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSS) who ranged in age from 39 years to 86 years. The minimum clinical and radiographic follow-up was 6 months, and outcomes were compared between patients with a preoperative sagittal vertical axis (SVA) of 50 mm or greater (forward-bending trunk ‘F’ group) and a control group of patients with a preoperative SVA of less than 50 mm.
Results showed the mean SVA was 81 mm for patients in the F group and 22 mm among patients in the control group. There were no significant differences observed between the groups in the Japanese Orthopaedic Association pain score improvement or the VAS score for leg numbness at final follow-up, according to the researchers. The JOA score improvement ratio for the F group was 73.3% vs. 77.1% for the control group, and the VAS score for leg numbness was 23.6 mm vs. 24.0 mm, respectively.
The researchers found that although the preoperative alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane did not affect JOA pain scores, patients with preoperative anterior translation of the C7 plumb line tended to have more low-back pain. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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