Kitti Jirarattanaphochai

Peridural methylprednisolone and wound infiltration with bupivacaine for postoperative pain control after posterior lumbar spine surgery: a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial.

Study Design. A randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial in multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain was conducted. Objective. To examine whether combination of corticosteroid and bupivacaine administered in patients undergoing posterior lumbosacral spine surgery reduces postoperative morphine consumption, back and leg pain relief, and improves functional disability and general health status. Summary of Background Data. Patients with lumbar spine surgery had moderate to severe postoperative pain. Administration of corticosteroid or injection of local anesthetic agent has been additive treatment methods for opioid drugs. There is uncertainty as to whether corticosteroid and bupivacaine combination improves outcomes in lumbosacral spine surgery. Methods. A total of 103 patients who were scheduled to undergo elective posterior lumbar discectomy, decompressive laminectomy with or without instrumented fusion for degenerative spinal diseases, received either methylprednisolone locally applied to the affected nerve roots (and bupivacaine was infiltrated into the wound) or injected placebo. Morphine consumption and pain scores were recorded at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. Oswestry Index and Short Form SF-36 scores were recorded before surgery and at 1 and 3 months later. Results. Demographic data between the 2 groups were comparable. The cumulative morphine dose and postoperative pain was significantly lower in the study group than in the placebo group (P = 0.01 and P = 0.001, respectively). When performing subgroup analyses, the beneficial effects were found in all groups of surgery but could not demonstrated statistically significant difference for all subgroup comparisons. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups with regard to pain on cough, Oswestry Index, and SF-36 scores. No complications were associated with the perioperative use of methylprednisolone or bupivacaine. Conclusions. Administration of methylprednisolone-bupivacaine provided a favorable effect immediately after posterior lumbosacral spine surgery for discectomy, decompression, and/or spinal fusion without complication.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for postoperative pain management after lumbar spine surgery : a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECT The authors undertook this meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in addition to opioid analgesics on perioperative pain management in lumbar spine surgery. METHODS The authors searched MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), and Science Citation Index Expanded databases. In addition, they manually searched key journals and their references. They included randomized trials comparing the use of NSAIDs in addition to opioid analgesics versus opioid analgesics alone after posterior lumbar discectomy, laminectomy, or spinal fusion. Two independent reviewers performed an assessment of the quality of the methods. RESULTS Seventeen studies comprising 400 patients who received NSAIDs in addition to opioid analgesics and 389 patients receiving opioid analgesics alone were included. Patients receiving NSAIDs in addition to opioid analgesics had lower pain scores and consumed fewer opioids than the group receiving opioid analgesics alone. There was no difference in the incidence of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis provides evidence that the addition of NSAIDs to opioid analgesics in lumbar spine surgery provided better pain control than opioid analgesics alone.

Treatment of de Quervain disease with triamcinolone injection with or without nimesulide. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND There is uncertainty as to whether supplemental oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication improves the effectiveness of steroid injections in the treatment of de Quervain disease. We tested the hypothesis that there are no significant differences in the success rates when this condition is treated with triamcinolone injection with or without supplemental oral nimesulide. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind trial, 160 patients with de Quervain disease received an injection of 10 mg of triamcinolone acetonide and either 200 mg of oral nimesulide for seven days (eighty patients) or placebo tablets for seven days (eighty patients). An independent, blinded evaluator assessed the primary outcomes (tenderness, pain, and the result on the Finkelstein test) at three weeks after injection. Adverse reactions were assessed, and probabilities of recurrence for both groups were compared. Factors possibly predictive of disease recurrence were also assessed. RESULTS The success rate after one injection was 67% in the nimesulide group and 68% in the placebo group. The overall success rates after single or multiple injections with a mean follow-up of 13.6 months were 95% for both groups. No significant differences were noted with respect to the success rates (p = 0.69) or pain scores after treatment (p = 0.11). The most common adverse reactions to triamcinolone injection and nimesulide were pain after injection and dyspepsia, respectively. The symptoms of de Quervain disease recurred in 33% of the patients in the nimesulide group and in 37% of those in the placebo group. The median time of recurrence was at the fifth month in the nimesulide group and at the fourth month in the placebo group. The recurrence of symptoms was significantly (p = 0.01) related to the presence of crepitation (relative risk, 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.19 to 3.80). CONCLUSIONS Supplemental oral administration of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug nimesulide does not improve the effectiveness of a single injection of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of de Quervain disease. Patients with crepitation in the first dorsal compartment during thumb extension or abduction are at increased risk for recurrence of this disease. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, Level I-1b (randomized controlled trial [no significant difference but narrow confidence intervals]).

Metastatic adenocarcinoma of the spine.

Eighty-six patients presenting with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the spine were retrospectively reviewed. Forty-nine patients had neurologic compromise: paraplegia developed in 23 patients and loss of anal or urethral sphincter control occurred in 17 patients. Anterior decompression was performed in 35 patients and posterior decompression in 14 patients. The rest of the patients were treated nonoperatively. Neurologic recovery in the operated cases was unsatisfactory. We found that this particular histologic type of spinal metastasis is highly invasive and aggressive. Survival analysis in 74 evaluable patients showed a median survival time of 76 days, which was not affected by the presence of multiple lesions or neurologic compromise. Surgical decompression had no positive impact on survival of the patients. Therefore, it is suggested that nonoperative treatment should be the guideline, and operative treatment should be offered only to carefully selected cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the spine.

Effect of parecoxib on postoperative pain after lumbar spine surgery: a bicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Study Design. A bicenter randomized, patients, healthcare providers, and data collectors blind placebo-controlled trial in multimodal analgesia for postoperative lumbar spine surgery was conducted. Objective. To assess the efficacy and safety of parecoxib on postoperative pain management after posterior lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Systematic reviews suggest that cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors are an effective treatment for acute postoperative pain. However, previous trials on lumbar spine surgery showed equivocal efficacy of cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors for postoperative pain relief. Methods. In this study, 120 patients undergoing posterior lumbar discectomy, spinal decompression, or spinal fusion were stratified based on the surgical procedure to 3 groups (n = 40) and randomly allocated to receive multidoses of parecoxib 40 mg/dose or placebo. Efficacy was assessed by total morphine used from patient-controlled analgesic pump, pain intensity, pain relief, and the patient’s subjective rating of the medication. Results. Parecoxib 40 mg reduced the total amount of morphine required over 48 hours by 39% relative morphine reduction compared with placebo (P = 0.0001). Pain at rest was reduced by 30% (P = 0.0001). Ninety percent of patients given parecoxib experienced at least 50% maximum total pain relief compared with 58% treated with placebo. The number-needed-to-treat for 1 patient to have at least half pain relief was 3.1 (2.0–4.6). Patients’ subjective rating of the medication was described as “excellent, good, and fair” by 48%, 43%, and 8% in the parecoxib group, respectively, compared with 21%, 50%, and 28% of placebo patients (P = 0.004). Overall adverse effects of patients receiving parecoxib and morphine were comparable to those receiving morphine alone. Conclusion. The present study demonstrates that the perioperative administration of parecoxib with patient-controlled analgesic morphine after lumber spine surgery resulted in significantly improved postoperative analgesic management as defined by reduction in opioid requirement, lower pain scores, and higher patients’ subjective rating of the medication.

Prevention of peridural fibrosis using a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) soaked in absorbable gelatin sponge: an experimental comparative animal model.

Study Design. Experimental study. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of peridural parecoxib-soaked absorbable gelatin sponge, and cellulose membrane on peridural fibrosis prevention in an animal model. Summary of Background Data. Postoperative peridural fibrosis is one of the causes of failed back surgery syndrome. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit the inflammatory response, while an absorbable gelatin sponge or cellulose membrane interposes between the dura and the paraspinal muscle to staunch the surgical bleeding. These mechanisms may prevent peridural fibrosis. Methods. Forty L5–L6 laminectomized adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into 4 groups. The high parecoxib group received 6 mg of parecoxib soaked into an absorbable gelatin sponge placed over the dura. The low parecoxib group was given 2 mg of parecoxib soaked into an absorbable gelatin sponge. The dura in the cellulose group was covered with a cellulose membrane, while the control group received normal saline drip before surgical wound closure. All rats were killed at 6 weeks for histopathological assessment. The fibroblast density, inflammatory cell density, fibrous adherence, and adverse events were quantified. The obtained results were analyzed statistically. Results. The respective mean fibroblast density in the high parecoxib, low parecoxib, cellulose, and control groups was 217.77 ± 51.76, 317.51 ± 126.92, 321.80 ± 90.94, and 328.48 ± 73.41 cells/mm2, while the respective mean inflammatory cell density was 539.65 ± 236.52, 910.17 ± 242.59, 1011.84 ± 239.30, and 1261.78 ± 319.68 cells/mm2. The mean fibroblast and inflammatory cell densities of the high parecoxib group were significantly lower than the control. The high parecoxib group also showed statistically less fibrous adherence than low parecoxib, cellulose, and control groups. Conclusion. The high-dose parecoxib-soaked absorbable gelatin sponge can prevent peridural fibrosis without complications. The low-dose parecoxib and cellulose membrane provided no significant benefit vis-à-vis prevention of peridural fibrosis, as adduced from the lack of any statistically significant difference between the test and control rats. Level of Evidence: N/A

Interrater Reliability of the Postoperative Epidural Fibrosis Classification: A Histopathologic Study in the Rat Model

Study Design Agreement study. Purpose To validate the interrater reliability of the histopathological classification of the post-laminectomy epidural fibrosis in an animal model. Overview of Literature Epidural fibrosis is a common cause of failed back surgery syndrome. Many animal experiments have been developed to investigate the prevention of epidural fibrosis. One of the common outcome measurements is the epidural fibrous adherence grading, but the classification has not yet been validated. Methods Five identical sets of histopathological digital files of L5-L6 laminectomized adult Sprague-Dawley rats, representing various degrees of postoperative epidural fibrous adherence were randomized and evaluated by five independent assessors masked to the study processes. Epidural fibrosis was rated as grade 0 (no fibrosis), grade 1 (thin fibrous band), grade 2 (continuous fibrous adherence for less than two-thirds of the laminectomy area), or grade 3 (large fibrotic tissue for more than two-thirds of the laminectomy area). A statistical analysis was performed. Results Four hundred slides were independently evaluated by each assessor. The percent agreement and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between each pair of assessors varied from 73.5% to 81.3% and from 0.81 to 0.86, respectively. The overall ICC was 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.86). Conclusions The postoperative epidural fibrosis classification showed almost perfect agreement among the assessors. This classification can be used in research involving the histopathology of postoperative epidural fibrosis; for example, for the development of preventions of postoperative epidural fibrosis or treatment in an animal model.

Clinical correlation of cervical myelopathy and the hyperactive pectoralis reflex.

Study Design: A diagnostic study. Objective: To validate the correlation between hyperactive pectoralis reflex and the level of cervical myelopathy. Summary of Background Data: The hyperactive pectoralis reflex was proposed to be present in patients with spinal cord compression at the C2–3 and/or C3–4 level. Nevertheless, in a validation study on the correlation of various hyperactive reflexes and the cervical myelopathic level, this particular reflex was not evaluated. Methods: All patients presenting with cervical myelopathy between August 2009 and June 2012 were included in this study. Each patient underwent neurological examination for cervical myelopathy focusing on the examination of pathologic reflexes, including the hyperactive pectoralis reflex. We recorded the presence or absence of these reflexes and the level of cervical myelopathy as detected on magnetic resonance imaging. We used the level of spinal cord compression—cranial to C4 of the vertebral body—as the reference level to validate a hyperactive pectoralis reflex. Results: The study included 95 cervical myelopathy patients: 33 patients had most of their compressed cervical cord somewhere above the C4 vertebral body. The hyperactive pectoralis reflex for cervical myelopathy at this level had a respective sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of 84.8%, 96.7%, 26.67, and 0.16. Conclusions: The high sensitivity and specificity of the hyperactive pectoralis reflex is very useful for screening and diagnosis of the cervical myelopathic level when it is above the C4 vertebral body.