Ye Soo Park

Vascular injury in thoracolumbar spinal surgeries and role of angiography in early diagnosis and management.

Study Design A retrospective outcomes study. Objective To stress on the importance of early diagnosis with the help of angiography and proper treatment of vascular injuries occurring during thoracolumbar surgeries and to report our results. Summary of Background Data Vascular injury is a rare but dangerous complication that can develop during thoracolumbar surgeries and if not treated properly then it can lead to severe complications including the death of the patient. Methods The patients included in this study were the ones who were suspected to have a possible vascular injury after a thoracolumbar surgery. Contrast enhanced computed tomography was performed for patients having clinical signs suggesting vascular injury. Among these patients, who were suspected to have active bleeding and major vessel injury on computed tomography were further subjected to angiography. Results Of the 10 cases included in the study, vascular injury was identified to be arterial in origin in 8 cases and venous in 3 cases. Among the 8 cases of identified arterial injury, angiography was performed in 4 cases, of which 3 were found to have active bleeding and were subjected to immediate intervention. Of the 4 cases in which angiography was not performed, 3 of them expired at variable postoperative periods. Complications developed in total 5 cases including 3 cases of mortality, 1 case of infection, and 1 case of cauda equina syndrome. Conclusions The vascular injuries during thoracolumbar spinal surgeries need immediate and aggressive treatment. In arterial injuries, we can prevent serious consequences by subjecting the patient to an angiography as early as possible followed by a therapeutic embolization. In contrast, for venous injuries if hemostasis has been confirmed, then an immediate intervention may not be always required.

Lumbosacral Fixation Using the Diagonal S2 Screw for Long Fusion in Degenerative Lumbar Deformity: Technical Note Involving 13 Cases

Placing instrumentation into the ilium has been shown to increase the biomechanical stability and the fusion rates, but it has some disadvantages. The diagonal S2 screw technique is an attractive surgical procedure for degenerative lumbar deformity. Between 2008 and 2010, we carried out long fusion across the lumbosacral junction in 13 patients with a degenerative lumbar deformity using the diagonal S2 screws. In 12 of these 13 patients, the lumbosacral fusion was graded as solid fusion with obvious bridging bone (92%). One patient had a rod dislodge at one S2 screw and breakage of one S1 screw and underwent revision nine months postoperatively. So, we present alternative method of lumbopelvic fixation for long fusion in degenerative lumbar deformity using diagonal S2 screw instead of iliac screw.

Clinical Usefulness of Long-term Application of Fentanyl Matrix in Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: Improvement of Pain and Physical and Emotional Functions

Background Opioids are recently recommended for those who do not gain adequate pain relief from the use of acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Medical opioids are administered in various routes, and transdermal opioid products that can make up for the weaknesses of the oral or intravenous products have been developed. This study is to evaluate the clinical usefulness of fentanyl matrix in terms of the long-term improvement in pain and physical and mental functions. Methods This was a multicenter, open, prospective, observational study that was conducted in 54 institutions in Korea. Patients with non-cancerous chronic pain completed questionnaires, and investigators also completed questionnaires. A total of 1,355 subjects participated in this study, and 639 subjects completed the study. Subjects received transdermal fentanyl matrix (12 µg/hr, 25 µg/hr, or 50 µg/hr depending on the patients response and demand). Subjects visited at 29 ± 7 days, 85 ± 14 days, and 169 ± 14 days after administration, respectively, to receive drug titration and fill out the questionnaires. The results were analyzed using the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, full analysis set (FAS), and per-protocol (PP) analysis. The FAS analysis included only 451 participants; the PP analysis, 160 participants; and the ITT analysis, 1,355 participants. Results The intensity of pain measured by the Numeric Rating Scale decreased from 7.07 ± 1.78 to 4.93 ± 2.42. The physical assessment score and mental assessment score of the Short-Form Health Survey 12 improved from 28.94 ± 7.23 to 35.90 ± 10.25 and from 35.80 ± 11.76 to 42.52 ± 10.58, respectively. These differences were significant, and all the other indicators also showed improvement. Adverse events with an incidence of ≥ 1% were nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and pruritus. Conclusions The long-term administration of fentanyl matrix in patients with non-cancerous pain can reduce the intensity of pain and significantly improves activities of daily living and physical and mental capabilities.

Analgesic efficacy and safety of prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone in Korean patients with chronic pain from spinal disorders

Background A prolonged-release formulation of oxycodone/naloxone has been shown to be effective in European populations for the management of chronic moderate to severe pain. However, no clinical data exist for its use in Korean patients. The objective of this study was to assess efficacy and safety of prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone in Korean patients for management of chronic moderate-to-severe pain. Methods In this multicenter, single-arm, open-label, phase IV study, Korean adults with moderate-to-severe spinal disorder-related pain that was not satisfactorily controlled with weak opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs received prolonged-release oral oxycodone/naloxone at a starting dose of 10/5 mg/day (maximum 80/40 mg/day) for 8 weeks. Changes in pain intensity and quality of life (QoL) were measured using a numeric rating scale (NRS, 0–10) and the Korean-language EuroQol-five dimensions questionnaire, respectively. Results Among 209 patients assessed for efficacy, the mean NRS pain score was reduced by 25.9% between baseline and week 8 of treatment (p < 0.0001). There was also a significant improvement in QoL from baseline to week 8 (p < 0.0001). The incidence of adverse drug reactions was 27.7%, the most common being nausea, constipation, and dizziness; 77.9% of these adverse drug reactions had resolved or were resolving at the end of the study. Conclusions Prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone provided significant and clinically relevant reductions in pain intensity and improved QoL in Korean patients with chronic spinal disorders. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01811238)

Prevalence of Neuropathic Pain and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Korean Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain Resulting from Neuropathic Low Back Pain

Study Design A noninterventional, multicenter, cross-sectional study. Purpose We investigated the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of the quality of life (QoL) and functional disability in Korean adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Overview of Literature Among patients with CLBP, 20%–55% had NP. Methods Patients older than 20 years with CLBP lasting for longer than three months, with a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score higher than four, and with pain medications being used for at least four weeks before enrollment were recruited from 27 general hospitals between December 2014 and May 2015. Medical chart reviews were performed to collect demographic/clinical features and diagnosis of NP (douleur neuropathique 4, DN4). The QoL (EuroQoL 5-dimension, EQ-5D; EQ-VAS) and functional disability (Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale, QBPDS) were determined through patient surveys. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to compare PROs between the NP (DN4≥4) and non-NP (DN4<4) groups. Results A total of 1,200 patients (females: 65.7%; mean age: 63.4±13.0 years) were enrolled. The mean scores of EQ-5D, EQ-VAS, and QBPDS were 0.5±0.3, 55.7±19.4, and 40.4±21.1, respectively. Among all patients, 492 (41.0%; 95% confidence interval, 38.2%–43.8%) suffered from NP. The prevalence of NP was higher in male patients (46.8%; p<0.01), in patients who had pain based on radiological and neurological findings (59.0%; p<0.01), and in patients who had severe pain (49.0%; p<0.01). There were significant mean differences in EQ-5D (NP group vs. non-NP group: 0.4±0.3 vs. 0.5±0.3; p<0.01) and QBPDS (NP group vs. non-NP group: 45.8±21.2 vs. 36.3±20.2; p<0.01) scores. In the multiple linear regression, patients with NP showed lower EQ-5D (β=−0.1; p<0.01) and higher QBPDS (β=7.0; p<0.01) scores than those without NP. Conclusions NP was highly prevalent in Korean patients with CLBP. Patients with CLBP having NP had a lower QoL and more severe dysfunction than those without NP. To enhance the QoL and functional status of patients with CLBP, this study highlights the importance of appropriately diagnosing and treating NP.