Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of percutaneous endoscopic technique in the treatment of intraspinal cement leakage after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). Methods Between May 2014 and March 2016, 5 patients with lower limb pain and spinal cord injury caused by intraspinal cement leakage after PVP, were treated with percutaneous endoscopic spinal decompression. Of 5 cases, 3 were male and 2 were female, aged from 65 to 83 years (mean, 74.4 years). The course of disease was 10-30 days (mean, 16.2 days). Imageological examinations confirmed the levels of cement leakage at T 12, L 1 in 3 cases, and at L 1, 2 in 2 cases; bilateral sides were involved in 1 case and unilateral side in 4 cases. Two patients had lower limb pain, whose visual analogue scale (VAS) were 8 and 7; 3 patients had lower extremities weakness, whose Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) 29 scores were 18, 20, and 19. According to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale, neural function was rated as grade E in 2 cases and grade D in 3 cases. Results The operation time was 55-119 minutes (mean, 85.6 minutes), and the blood loss was 30-80 mL (mean, 48 mL). CT scan and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction at 1 day after operation showed that cement leakage was removed in all patients. Five cases were followed up 6-21 months (mean, 12 months). In 2 patients with lower limb pain, and VAS score was significantly decreased to 2 at last follow-up. In 3 patients with lower extremities weakness, the muscle strength was improved progressively, and the JOA29 scores at last follow-up were 21, 23, and 22. Conclusion Percutaneous endoscopic technique for intraspinal cement leakage after PVP is safe, effective, and feasible.
Endoscopic technique is one of the important development directions of modern surgical techniques. Compared with the laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery, the development of endoscopic technology in breast surgery is generally slow due to the limitation of the physiological structure of this organ. The characteristics of endoscopic technology such as micro-incision trauma and remote operation are especially suitable for breast (cancer) surgery, which desires flawless skin surface and perfect remodeling. In the meantime, however, the obstacles of breast (cancer) endoscopic surgery include the establishment and maintenance of a satisfactory surgical field, the endoscopic exposure of large and heavy glands, the obstruction by the slope of the skeletal thorax, the remote operation that is difficult to accomplish with conventional endoscopic instruments, and the complete removal of large and tough glands and so on. By studying and pondering the experience of the pioneers of endoscopy, the endoscopic team of West China Hospital took five years to develop this novel one axillary-incision, single-port and liposuction-free endoscopic surgical approach which is low costing and only requires one-port operation platform. The original “inverse sequence method”, “Huaxi hole no. 1, 2, 3” and other endoscopy-assisted approach overcome the aforesaid obstacles. It has significantly reduced the technical threshold and operational difficulty of breast (cancer) endoscopic surgery and contributed our own wisdom to the vigorous development of breast endoscopic technology in China. The author shared her observations and thoughts on the technical details of breast endoscopic surgery based on her nearly 20 years of experience in endoscopic operation.