Effectiveness and Safety of Body-Temperature Irrigation Fluid in Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy: A...

Investigation into the effect of body-temperature irrigation fluid during percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) on patients.

Patients undergoing PTED at the Orthopedic Department of our hospital from January to October 2024 were selected as study subjects. Patients were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and those meeting the criteria were randomly allocated to the experimental group or the control group. The control group used room-temperature irrigation fluid during surgery, whereas the experimental group used body-temperature irrigation fluid. The differences in postoperative inflammatory and other parameters between the 2 groups were analyzed. The visual analog scale scores were evaluated to compare the severity of low back pain at different postoperative time points among patients. During the surgical procedure, the body temperature changes were continuously monitored. In addition, the complication rates caused by body-temperature and room-temperature irrigation fluid were compared during and after surgery.

A total of 71 patients were enrolled after screening. They were randomly allocated to the experimental group (n = 34) and the control group (n = 37). In the experimental group, 30 patients completed follow-up, and 32 patients completed follow-up in the control group. The general clinical data of the 2 groups showed no statistically significant differences, indicating comparability (P > 0.05). The levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and serum amyloid A were significantly different between the 2 groups at 1 day postoperatively (P < 0.05), with the experimental group having lower values than the control group. The visual analog scale scores of low back pain in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group until 1 day postoperatively, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The body temperatures of both groups gradually declined. After 60 minutes of surgery, at multiple subsequent time points, the experimental group exhibited higher body temperatures than the control group, demonstrating statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications between the 2 groups during surgery, at 1 day postoperatively, and at 1 month postoperatively (P > 0.05).

In PTED, the use of body-temperature irrigation fluid not only provides the same safety profile as room-temperature irrigation fluid but also achieves better clinical outcomes.