OBJECTIVETo investigate the blood supply of the pedicle fat grafts with the third lumbar segmental artery and its clinical effects on reoperation for lumbar disc herniation.

METHODSTwelve sides of 6 adult cadaver examples were contributed to investigate the courser of lumbar segmental vessels and the distribution of hypodermic capillary net of the dorsal branch of the third lumbar segmental artery. From January 2000 to January 2007,49 patients needed reoperation to treat lumbar disc herniation,including 26 males and 23 females with an average age of 55.6 years (ranged from 39 to 70 years). Duration between two operations ranged from 8 months to 15 years with an average of 6.9 years. Reoperative reasons included recurrent lumbar disc protrusion(30 cases)postoperative epidural scar formation (17 cases), postoperative epidural cyst formation (2 cases). Of them,9 patients underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion at the second operation. The pedicle fat grafts with the third lumbar segmental artery were covered on the sites of the laminectomy in these patients. After negative pressure drainage tube were pulled out, 2 ml Chitsan were injected to the sites of the laminectomy and around epidural nerve root through epidural catheter. VAS score and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to assess clinical outcomes before and after operation.

RESULTSThe courser of third lumbar segmental vessels were invariant at the lateral face of the lumbar vertebral body. The dorsal branch of the third lumbar segmental artery penetrated thoracolumbar fascia and formed rich hypodermic capillary net in the region. All patients were followed up from 5 to 8 years with an average of 5.6 years. VAS score of low back pain and leg pain decreased respectively from preoperative 7.6 +/- 1.2, 8.9 +/- 0.9 to 3.6 +/- 0.5, 3.0 +/- 0.4 at final follow-up (P < 0.01); and ODI score decreased from preoperative 44.1 +/- 6.2 to 13.9 +/- 3.6 at final follow-up (P < 0.01). According to ODI score to evaluate the clinical outcomes, 29 cases got excellent results, 11 good, 7 fair, 2 poor.

CONCLUSIONThe pedicle fat grafts with the third lumbar segmental artery and Chitsan can reduce epidural scar formation and prevent peridural fibrosis and adhesion and improve clinical effects of reoperation for lumbar disc herniation.