Study on Topping-off Technique for Treating Lumbar Degenerative Diseases

Lumbar degenerative disease is a common disease among middle-aged and elderly people as well as those who sit for a long time, mainly manifested as symptoms such as lower back pain, stiffness, and numbness in the lower limbs. Traditional surgical treatments such as lumbar fusion can alleviate symptoms, but may lead to complications such as adjacent segment degeneration. Therefore, exploring safer and more effective treatment methods is of great significance. Topping off technique, as a new treatment method, combines the advantages of interbody fusion and dynamic fixation, aiming to reduce the pressure on the intervertebral disc at the surgical site, promote the repair of diseased intervertebral discs, while preserving partial mobility of the lumbar spine.The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and imaging changes of Topping off technique in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases. The Topping off technique combines posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and Wallis interspinous dynamic fixation device implantation. Through prospective clinical trials, its therapeutic effect on patients with continuous double segment lumbar degenerative diseases was observed. The study included patients who underwent surgery for degenerative lumbar diseases in L4-5 and L5-S1, who were treated with two-stage fusion surgery and Topping off technique, respectively. Follow up was conducted before and after surgery, with an average follow-up time of 24 months. Evaluate preoperative and postoperative efficacy using Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) lumbar spine function score, and calculate recovery rate. At the same time, X-ray and MRI images were used to detect the overall range of motion (L2\ S1ROM) of the lumbar spine, the range of motion (ROM) of the Wallis device inserted segments, the intervertebral disc height index (DHI), and the relative signal intensity of the nucleus pulposus (RSI) of the intervertebral disc.