Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of single?incision intervertebral foraminotomy in treating double?segment lumbar spinal stenosis accompanied by lumbar disc herniation. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 cases of double?segment lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar disc herniation treated in our orthopedic （spinal surgery） department from March 2016 to May 2018. Among these cases， 11 patients （Group A） were treated with percutaneous discectomy， 13 patients （Group B） underwent percutaneous endoscopic discectomy， and 16 patients （Group C） received double?incision percutaneous surgery. General clinical data for all patients were recorded. Visual Analog Scale （VAS） scores， Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） scores， and clinical outcomes were assessed at five different time points： preoperatively， immediately postoperatively， one week postoperatively， one month postoperatively， and at the final follow?up. Statistical analysis was performed on the collected data. Results The operation time， the number of fluoroscopies performed on the hands， the length of the skin incision， and patient satisfaction were all statistically significant （P < 0.05）. An interaction effect was observed between the operation time and the surgical procedure on both the VAS and JOA scores. Both the operation time and the surgical method had significant main effects on the VAS and JOA scores （P < 0.05）. Significant differences in VAS and JOA scores were found among the three groups immediately post?surgery， one week post?surgery， one month post?operation， and at the end of the study （P < 0.05）. Immediately after surgery， there were statistically significant differences in VAS and JOA scores among the three groups （P < 0.05）. One week post?surgery， there were also statistically significant differences in VAS scores among the three groups （P < 0.05）. Conclusions The single?incision intervertebral foramen technique is an effective approach for simultaneously addressing double?segment lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar disc herniation through decompression. This method boasts a shorter operative duration， reduced intraoperative radiation exposure， and minimal tissue damage. Patient satisfaction is high， making it a valuable addition to clinical practice.

Key words: single incision, intervertebral foramen, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar disc herniation