ArticlePloS one2022
Analysis of the clinical and radiological outcomes of percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty: A case-control study.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research Progress on Low-Temperature Plasma Nucleoplasty and Targeted Radiofrequency for Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy: A Retrospective Review.Pain and therapy · 2026Review
- Assessment of real-world, prospective outcomes in patients treated with cervical radiofrequency ablation for chronic pain (RAPID).Interventional pain medicine · 2025Article
- Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Techniques for the Treatment of Cervical Disc Herniation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Clinical and radiological comparison of percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty combined with ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency of cervical nerve root for cervical radicular pain: a retrospective, matched-cohort study.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Use of Navigable Ablation Decompression Treatment (L-DISQ) for Contained Cervical Disc Herniation - Technical Note and Literature Review.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2024Article
- Machine Learning Assisting the Prediction of Clinical Outcomes following Nucleoplasty for Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPercutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) is a simple, safe, and effective treatment for contained cervical herniated intervertebral disc (CHIVD). However, few studies have compared the actual benefits of PCN against conservative treatment (CT), either clinically or radiographically. PURPOSE: The present study sought to analyze and to compare the outcomes of symptomatic contained CHIVD treated with PCN or CT.
methodsThe present study was designed as a case-control comparative study. Patients who indicated for PCN after a failed CT for more than 6 months were recruited. After the exclusion of some patients who did not meet the selection criteria of the study, we finally enrolled 71 patients treated with PCN. In addition, another 21 patients who indicated for PCN but finally chose to receive CT continuously were also enrolled and categorized as the control group. All patients completed the 6-month follow-up. Pain levels and functional outcomes were evaluated pre- and post-operatively by assessing the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Neck Disability Index (NDI). Radiographic images of 72 of 104 intervened segments were collected to measure disc height and other cervical spinal alignments, such as range of motion, C2-7 Cobb's angle, and C2-7 sagittal vertical axis.
resultsCompared with the CT group, the PCN group showed significantly better outcomes on VAS, ODI, and NDI at the 1-month post-operative follow-up, which continued through at least the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.01 for VAS and P < 0.05 for ODI and NDI). The mean disc height significantly decreased, from 6.04 ± 0.85 mm to 5.76 ± 1.02 mm, 3 months after PCN treatment (P = 0.003). However, the degree of disc height decrease did not correlate with the changes of the substantial VAS improvement.
conclusionsTo provide therapeutic benefits for symptomatic contained CHIVD patients after an invalid CT for 6 months, PCN seems to be a better option than CT. The reduced disc heights did not alter the clinical outcomes of PCN.
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