Abstract
Introduction
Patients with low back pain and neurogenic claudication suffer chronic disability and in 40 to 50% of these, degenerative disc disease (DDD), and foraminal stenosis seem to be the principal causes. This preliminary mini case series assessed the clinical efficacy and radiological results of the Intraspine interlaminar device implanted in 10 patients.
Patients and Methods
We operated 10 patients (five males and five females) with a mean age of 67.5 years (ranging from 56 to 80 years) at our institution. The mean follow-up was 6 months. We evaluated patients with to the following end points: clinical outcome (according to Odom criteria) and radiological widening of neural foramina.
Results
A total of 10 Intraspine interlaminar device were implanted in 10 single-level procedures. One month after the surgery, according to Odom criteria, all the patients experienced good-to-excellent functional recovery with improvement of LBP and neurogenic claudication. At 6 months, the patients were clinically stable with two cases of further clinical benefit. The diameter of adjacent (above and below) neural foramina was weakly affected by the positioning of the interlaminar spacer indicating a reduced workload adjacent effect. No complications were associated with surgery.
Conclusion
The clinical and radiological results suggest that the Intraspine interlaminar device is a safe and effective alternative to commonest interspinous device with the advantage of reduced workload on adjacent levels.