• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.192-197
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• 2005

Background: Radicular pain, associated with herniated intervertebral disc, has been treated with either conservative treatments or a traditional surgical discectomy. Several modalities for minimally invasive percutaneous procedures have been developed as alternatives to a surgical discectomy. Percutaneous decompression using a $Dekompressor^{(R)}$ probe has been recently introduced. Herein, we report the outcome of percutaneous decompression with a $Dekompressor^{(R)}$ for the treatment of a herniated intervertebral disc. Methods: Between August 2004 and April 2005, percutaneous decompression was performed using a $Dekompressor^{(R)}$, 1.5-mm percutaneous lumbar discectomy probe in 17 patients with a herniated lumbar intervertebral disc resistant to conservative treatments, with the results reviewed retrospectively. The procedure was performed under fluoroscopic guidance after local anesthesia. Disc access was gained with a posterolateral approach on the symptomatic side and intradiscal placement of the discectomy probe in the herniated disc confirmed from the anteroposterior and lateral views on the fluoroscopy. Results: We obtained satisfactory clinical results in 14 patients with a decrease in the initial Visual analogue scale (VAS) of more than 55% and the elimination or reduction of analgesic medication, with a follow-up of 3 to 11 months. Conclusion: We concluded that a percutaneous discectomy with a $Dekompressor^{(R)}$ probe might be an effective alternative for the treatments of painful disc herniations resistant to conservative managements when performed under proper selection criteria.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.253-256
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• 2006

Cervical disc herniation is one of the most common causes of neck, shoulder and arm pain. There are many treatments for a cervical disc herniation, such as rest, physical therapy, medication, epidural steroid injection and surgery. However, conservative treatments sometimes have limited effectiveness, and a surgical discectomy is often associated with numerous complications. Nowadays, a percutaneous discectomy, using a $Dekompressor^{(R)}$, has been used in herniated disc patients, but a posterolateral extruded disc is not an indication. Herein, our experience using a 19 G $Dekompressor^{(R)}$, on a 52 year-old male patient with a left C6-⁣7 posterolateral extruded disc, is reported. Decompression was successfully performed, and the pain and range of motion was immediately improved.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.271-274
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• 2005

Cervical radicular pain has been recognized as a common cause of neck, shoulder and arm pain. The initial recommended therapy is based on the medical treatment by anti-inflammatory, analgesic agents, rest, traction and physical therapy. In the case of failure with these therapies, the classical alternative is a surgical discectomy, but this is associated with numerous risks inherent to invasive procedures. As a result, a number of percutaneous intradiscal therapies have developed over the last 3 decades, which have specifically focused on the pathology of the disc. However, these treatments have considerable limitations and success rates, and none allow for the extraction of a quantifiable amount of nucleus pulposus via a 17 gauge introducer using fluoroscopic guidance alone. Herein, we describe our experience using a $Dekompressor^{(R)}$ on a 52 year-old female patient with a cervical disc herniation. Percutaneous decompression in the treatment of cervical disc herniation was successfully performed, with a good outcome.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.384-386
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• 2005

There have been several reports about abdominal pain due to discitis in children or thoracic disc herniation. However, none of them could verify causal relationship between disc disease and abdominal pain clearly. The authors report a patient with discogenic abdominal pain who had disc degeneration at lower lumbar level without definite protrusion or any evidence of inflammation. We could reproduce the abdominal pain by using discography. The patient was treated by percutaneous disc decompression successfully.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
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• 제22권9호
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• pp.570-582
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• 2022

수핵성형술은 경피적 디스크 감압술의 한 종류로 디스크 탈출증의 치료를 위해 개발된 시술법이다. 현재 몇몇 임상 현장에선 이 기술을 원래의 적응증인 디스크 탈출증을 지닌 환자들에 대해서 뿐 아니라, 디스크 내장증을 지닌 환자들에게도 사용하고 있다. 이 연구의 목적은 이와 같은 임상 현장에서의 수핵성형술의 적응증의 확대가 타당한 의학적 논리 위에서 수행된 것인지 평가하는 것이다. 그것을 위해 논자는 수핵성형술을 디스크 내장증 환자들에게 적용한 논문들을 분석하였다. 분석의 요점은 첫째, 연구자들이 제시하는 치료 근거의 타당성과 둘째, 환자 선별 기준의 적절성이다. 그 결과 수핵성형술을 디스크 내장증의 치료에 적용한 기존 논문들이 제시하는 치료 근거는 불분명하거나 일반적인 의학의 논리에 부합하지 않는 측면이 있는 것으로 판단되며, 환자 선별의 과정에선 경피적 감압술이 기능을 발휘할 수 있는 조건을 지닌 디스크를 찾기 위한 절차를 엄밀히 수행하지 않거나 경피적 감압술에 부적합한 것으로 판단될 수 있는 디스크도 시술 대상에 포함시킨 것으로 평가된다. 따라서 논자는 수핵성형술을 디스크 내장증 치료에 적용한 기존 연구들은 불필요하거나 잠재적 부작용을 발생시킬 수 있는 다소 모험적인 실험의 성격을 갖고 있다고 판단한다. 이 주제에 대한 연구과정에서 환자의 권익을 지키고 연구의 완성도를 높이기 위해선 현재의 이해 수준보다 선명한 치료적 근거의 확립과 이에 기반한 정교한 환자 선별 과정이 필수적으로 갖추어져야 할 것이라 생각한다.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.392-395
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• 2013

Epiduroscopy is very useful in the treatment of not only low back pain caused by failed back surgery syndrome, epidural scar or herniated disc but also by chronic refractory low back pain which does not respond to interventional conservative treatment including fluoroscopically-directed epidural steroid injections and percutaneous adhesiolysis. Because cauterization using a laser fiber has become recently available, a wider opening is required to enter into the sacral canal in the case of epiduroscopic laser neural decompression (ELND). However, in a few patients, it is difficult to insert a device into the epidural space due to stenosis around the opening, and there is no alternative method. Herein, we report a case where a hiatus rasp specially designed for such patients was used to perform the operation.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.66-72
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• 2020

Background: Low back pain secondary to discopathy is a common pain disorder. Multiple minimally invasive therapeutic modalities have been proposed; however, to date no study has compared percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) with intradiscal injection of radiopaque gelified ethanol (DiscoGel^®). We are introducing the first study on patient-reported outcomes of DiscoGel^® vs. PLDD for radiculopathy. Methods: Seventy-two patients were randomly selected from either a previous strategy of PLDD or DiscoGel^®, which had been performed in our center during 2016-2017. Participants were asked about their numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, and progression to secondary treatment. Results: The mean NRS scores in the total cohort before intervention was 8.0, and was reduced to 4.3 in the DiscoGel^® group and 4.2 in the PLDD group after 12 months, which was statistically significant. The mean ODI score before intervention was 81.25% which was reduced to 41.14% in the DiscoGel^® group and 52.86% in the PLDD group after 12 months, which was statistically significant. Between-group comparison of NRS scores after two follow-ups were not statistically different (P = 0.62) but the ODI score in DiscoGel^® was statistically lower (P = 0.001). Six cases (16.67%) from each group reported undergoing surgery after the follow-up period which was not statistically different. Conclusions: Both techniques were equivalent in pain reduction but DiscoGel^® had a greater effect on decreasing disability after 12 months, although the rate of progression to secondary treatments and/or surgery was almost equal in the two groups.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.36-43
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• 2011

Background: Nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive spinal surgery using a $Coblation^{(R)}$ technique that creates small voids within the disc. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cervical nucleoplasty in patients with cervical disc disorder. Methods: Between March 2008 and December 2009, 22 patients with cervical disc disorders were treated with cervical nucleoplasty after failed conservative treatment. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia, and fluoroscopic guidance and voids were created in the disc with the $Perc^{TM}$ DC Spine $Wand^{TM}$. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by the Modified Macnab criteria and VAS score at preprocedure, postprocedure 1 month, and 6 months. Results: Six patients had one, eight patients had two and eight patients had three discs treated; a total of 46 procedures was performed. Mean VAS reduced from 9.3 at preprocedure to 3.7 at postprocedure 1 month and to 3.4 at postprocedure 6 months. There was no significant complication related to the procedure within the first month. Outcomes were good or excellent in 17/22 (77.3%) cases. Postprocedure magnetic resonance imaging was acquired in two patients after two months showing morphologic evidence of volume reduction of protruded disc material in one patient but not in the other. Conclusions: Percutaneous decompression with a nucleoplasty using a $Coblation^{(R)}$ technique in the treatment of cervical disc disorder is a safe, minimally-invasive and less uncomfortable procedure, with an excellent short-term clinical outcome.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.178-185
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• 2014

Epidural adhesions cause pain by interfering with the free movement of the spinal nerves and increasing neural sensitivity as a consequence of neural compression. To remove adhesions and deliver injected drugs to target sites, percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis (PEA) is performed in patients who are unresponsive to conservative treatments. We describe four patients who were treated with a newly developed inflatable balloon catheter for more effective PEA and relief of stenosis. In the present patients, treatments with repetitive epidural steroid injection and/or PEA with the Racz catheter or the NaviCath did not yield long-lasting effects or functional improvements. However, PEA and decompression with the inflatable balloon catheter led to maintenance of pain relief for more than seven months and improvements in the functional status with increases in the walking distance. The present case series suggests that the inflatable balloon catheter may be an effective alternative to performing PEA when conventional methods fail to remove adhesions or sufficiently relieve stenosis.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.27-31
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• 2013

Background: Neuroplasty using a Racz catheter or epiduroscope and percutaneous endoscopic laser discectomy are performed as treatment for chronic refractory low back and/or lower extremity pain, but they are limited in that they cannot completely remove the causing pathology. Lately, epiduroscopic laser neural decompression (ELND) has been receiving attention as an alternative treatment, but there are insufficient reports of results. Hence we aimed to investigate and report the data in our hospital. Methods: Seventy-seven patients were selected who had received ELND via the anterior and posterior epidural approach through the pain clinic in our hospital from March 2011 to July 2012. Their medical records including age, diagnosis, epiduroscopic findings and degree of symptom relief were investigated. The degree of symptom relief following the procedure was categorized into 5 stages of very good (5), good (4), no change (3), bad (2), and very bad (1) at 2 weeks and 1 month after the procedure. Results: The subjects were 30 males and 47 females. Mean age was 54.6 for males and 59.6 for females, so the overall mean age was 58.1 years old, with the youngest being 23 and the oldest 88 years old. In epiduroscopic images of all patients, more than one situation of herniated disc, fibrous tissue and adhesion, or inflammation was observed. Sixty-seven patients (87.0%) showed symptom relief 2 weeks after the procedure and 63 patients (81.8%) showed relief after 1 month. Conclusions: ELND is considered to be an effective treatment alternative for chronic refractory low back and/or lower extremity pain, including lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, and failed back surgery syndrome which cannot be alleviated with existing non-invasive conservative treatment.