A novel technique for managing symptomatic spinal cysts using epiduroscopic neural laser decompression: technical note and preliminary results

BACKGROUND: Benign spinal cysts are relatively common, but can cause significant pain. However, consensus regarding the best method for treating these cysts has not been established. We aimed to examine the usefulness of epiduroscopic neural laser decompression (ENLD), a novel percutaneous treatment, for treating lumbo-sacral cysts. METHODS: Ten patients (6 men, 4 women; mean age 45.5 years) with benign lumbo-sacral cysts underwent ENLD. The lumbo-sacral cysts were caused by multiple pathophysiologies and displayed different characteristics. Cysts were evaluated using a recorded epiduroscopic procedure video, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electronic medical records. In all patients, MRI identified cysts with well-defined margins that were compressing the nerves in the lumbo-sacral region and were associated with the pain symptoms of the patients. Retrospectively, we reviewed a series of consecutive patients who underwent surgery (two with discal cysts, four with facet cysts, and four with Tarlov cysts). Low back/leg pain was evaluated using a 1–10 visual analog scale. Functional improvement was evaluated using Oswestry Disability Index scores. Outcomes were evaluated pre- and post-operatively and 1 year post-surgery. RESULTS: Patients were examined between May 2016 and August 2017. Average pain scores improved from 4.7 pre-surgery to 1.8 post-surgery (low back; p < .001) and from 5.8 pre-surgery to 1.6 post-surgery (leg; p < .001). Disability scores decreased from 27.2% pre-surgery to 14.6% post-surgery. CONCLUSION: Currently, no standard treatment strategy for symptomatic spinal cysts exists. These results show that ENLD using a Holmium: YAG laser can be useful in treating symptomatic benign spinal cysts. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable as this is a retrospective chart review.