UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to propose a novel surgical method via combination of fat graft and paraspinal muscle flap, in order to treat cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak during posterior thoracolumbar surgery. The clinical outcomes were also evaluated.
UNASSIGNED: Data of a total of 71 patients who were diagnosed with intraoperative incidental durotomy and CSF leak after posterior thoracolumbar surgery in our hospital form January 2019 to January 2021 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Among them, 34 and 37 patients were assigned into conventional suturing (CS) group and fat graft and paraspinal muscle flap (FPM) group, respectively. Patients\' demographic and clinical data were compared between the two groups.
UNASSIGNED: The average drainage tube time in the FPM group was 3.89 ± 1.17 days, which was shorter than that in the CS group (5.12 ± 1.56, P < 0.001). The drainage volume in the FPM group (281.08 ± 284.76 ml) was also smaller than that in the CS group (859.70 ± 553.11 ml, P < 0.001). Besides, 15 (44.11%) patients in the CS group complained of postural headache, which was more than that in the FPM group (7 patients, 18.91%). There was a statistically significant difference in postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score between the two groups (P = 0.013). Two patients underwent revision surgery resulting from incision nonunion and delayed meningeal cyst.
UNASSIGNED: Fat graft combined with paraspinal muscle flap showed to be an effective method to repair CSF leak during posterior thoracolumbar surgery. The proposed method significantly reduced postoperative drainage tube time and postoperative drainage volume. It also decreased the incidence and the degree of postural headache. The proposed method showed satisfactory clinical outcomes, and it is worthy of promotion.

BACKGROUND: Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) secondary to split cord malformation (SCM) is rare in adulthood. There is as yet no consensus about the optimal treatment method for adult patients with SCMs and degenerative spine diseases such as lumbar stenosis, spondylolisthesis and ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF). The tethered cord poses a great challenge to the decompression and fusion procedures for the intraoperative stretching of the spinal cord, which might lead to deteriorated neural deficits. Here, we report on a case to add our treatment experience to the medical literature.
METHODS: We treated a 67-year-old female patient with type II SCM suffering from lumbar disc herniation, degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis and thoracic OLF. The patient underwent thoracolumbar spinal fusion and decompression surgery for severe lower back pain, extensive left lower limb muscle weakness and intermittent claudication. After the thoracolumbar surgery, without stretching the tethered cord, the patient achieved complete relief of pain and lower extremity weakness at final follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: For adult patients with underlying TCS secondary to SCM coupled with thoracic OLF and lumbar spondylolisthesis, a thoracolumbar fusion surgery could be safe and effective with the tethered cord untreated. It is critical to design individualized surgical protocols to reduce the stretch of the low-lying spinal cord.