Clinical trial NCT05315466: Comparison Between Surgical and Conservative Treatment for Lumbar Stenosis
Official title: Comparison Between Surgical and Conservative Treatment for Lumbar Stenosis
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Lead sponsor: Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-04-07
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Patients affected by lumbar spinal stenosis who are designated to surgical or conservative treatment
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study aims to compare the outcomes of surgical treatment and conservative treatment at medium- and long-term period (minimum 2 years) in patients with lumbar stenosis who come to the observation of the PI's Team at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, through a series exhaustive questionnaires to self-administer to patients in order to define a path of "decision-making" as effective as possible for the patient and the doctor.

Detailed description: Non-surgical treatment:

Conservative treatment may include different approaches, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, physical therapy, Global Postural Rehabilitation, magnetic therapy, laser therapy, TENS, massage, cognitive-behavioral therapy and all those procedures that can bring benefit in back and legs pain.

Surgical treatment:

Surgical treatment of lumbar stenosis is the decompression surgery which relieves the nerve structures to prevent permanent neurological damage. Decompression can be made on one or more segments of the spine and can be done with laminectomy, hemilaminectomy, laminotomy.

During a laminotomy part of the vertebral lamina is removed above and below the compressed nerve. The opening created is sometimes enough to relieve the compression on the nerve. In most cases, also the disc material and bone spur that compress the nerve are removed.

During a laminectomy the vertebral lamina is completely removed, along with the disc and the bone material that compress the nerves. The opening produced by the removal of the lamina is protected by back muscles and ligaments.

If the damage has occurred at several levels and bone of the vertebral support structures must be removed to achieve decompression, it can be performed a stabilization surgery with vertebral bone fusion (arthrodesis) in order to avoid instability of the column. Fusion is carried out to eliminate the mobility between different vertebrae and it is achieved using bone derived from the patient's iliac crest or from a donor. The bone gradually grows and melts with the same vertebrae. This limits the movements that may have been one of the causes of back pain. It takes about six months for it to achieve a solid bony spinal fusion.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Confirmatory imaging study (MRI or CT) showing lumbar spinal stenosis at one or more levels (L2 to sacrum) defined as narrowing of the central spinal canal, lateral recesses, or neural foramens due to encroachment on the neural structures by the surrounding bone and soft tissue.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients are not eligible if they have evidence of instability on lateral flexion- extension radiographs, defined as a change of #10° of angulation of adjacent segments by Cobb measurement or a change of more than 4 mm of anteroposterior or posteroanterior translation.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Back and leg pain assessed by VAS
timeFrame: Change from baseline VAS at 3, 6, 12, 24 months
measure: Functional activity assessed by ODI
timeFrame: Change from baseline ODI at 3, 6, 12, 24 months
measure: Quality of life assessed by EQ-5D
timeFrame: Change from baseline EQ-5D at 3, 6, 12, 24 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Complications
timeFrame: 6, 12, 24 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bologna
country: Italy
facility: Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli
Study officials:
affiliation: Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli
name: Alessandro Gasbarrini, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Kovacs FM, Urrutia G, Alarcon JD. Surgery versus conservative treatment for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Sep 15;36(20):E1335-51. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e31820c97b1.
citation: Amundsen T, Weber H, Nordal HJ, Magnaes B, Abdelnoor M, Lilleas F. Lumbar spinal stenosis: conservative or surgical management?: A prospective 10-year study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2000 Jun 1;25(11):1424-35; discussion 1435-6. doi: 10.1097/00007632-200006010-00016.
citation: Malmivaara A, Slatis P, Heliovaara M, Sainio P, Kinnunen H, Kankare J, Dalin-Hirvonen N, Seitsalo S, Herno A, Kortekangas P, Niinimaki T, Ronty H, Tallroth K, Turunen V, Knekt P, Harkanen T, Hurri H; Finnish Lumbar Spinal Research Group. Surgical or nonoperative treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis? A randomized controlled trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007 Jan 1;32(1):1-8. doi: 10.1097/01.brs.0000251014.81875.6d.
citation: Weinstein JN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, Tosteson AN, Blood E, Hanscom B, Herkowitz H, Cammisa F, Albert T, Boden SD, Hilibrand A, Goldberg H, Berven S, An H; SPORT Investigators. Surgical versus nonsurgical therapy for lumbar spinal stenosis. N Engl J Med. 2008 Feb 21;358(8):794-810. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0707136.
citation: Zucherman JF, Hsu KY, Hartjen CA, Mehalic TF, Implicito DA, Martin MJ, Johnson DR 2nd, Skidmore GA, Vessa PP, Dwyer JW, Puccio ST, Cauthen JC, Ozuna RM. A multicenter, prospective, randomized trial evaluating the X STOP interspinous process decompression system for the treatment of neurogenic intermittent claudication: two-year follow-up results. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2005 Jun 15;30(12):1351-8. doi: 10.1097/01.brs.0000166618.42749.d1.