Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Surgery (PTES) for Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Disease in Patients with Underlying Diseases: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 196 Cases

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the postoperative outcomes, safety and feasibility of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic surgery (PTES) for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease (LDD) in the patients with underlying diseases. METHODS: From June 2017 to April 2019, PTES was performed to treat 226 patients of single-level LDD. According to clinical background, the patients were divided into two groups. A total of 102 patients with underlying diseases were included in group A. The other 124 LDD patients without underlying diseases were included in group B. The occurrence of postoperative complications was recorded. Leg pain was assessed before, immediately, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after PTES using VAS, and ODI before PTES and 2 years after PTES were recorded. The therapeutic quality (Excellent, Good, Moderate or Poor) was defined according to MacNab grade at 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: No aggravation of underlying diseases or serious complications was observed in all patients within 6 months after the operation. Altogether, 196 patients were followed up for more than 2 years, 89 patients in group A and 107 patients in group B. The VAS score of leg pain and ODI dropped significantly after surgery (P<0.001) in both groups. One case of group B received PTES again due to recurrence 52 months after surgery. According to MacNab, the excellent and good rate was 97.75% (87/89) in group A and 96.26% (103/107) in group B. In operative duration, frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy, blood loss, incision length, hospital stay, VAS, ODI, and the excellent and good rate, there was no statistical difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: PTES is safe, effective and feasible for the treatment of LDD with underlying diseases, which is comparable to PTES for LDD without underlying diseases. The entrance point of PTES (Gu’s Point) is located at the corner of the flat back turning to the lateral side. PTES is not only a minimally invasive surgical technique but also includes a postoperative care system for preventing LDD recurrence.