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The Long-Term Efficacy of Radiofrequency Ablation With and Without Steroid Injection
Alaa Abd-Elsayed1, Michael Loebertman1, Peter Huynh1
1Abd-Elsayed, MD, MPH, Loebertman, MS, Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Huynh, MD, Anesthesiology Department, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, California, USA. Urits, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Shreveport, LA; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Viswanath, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Shreveport, LA; Valley Pain Consultants - Envision Physician Services, Phoenix, AZ; University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Department of Anesthesiology, Phoenix, AZ; Creighton University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Omaha, NE. Sehgal, MD, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Background:
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been proven to be an effective option for treating chronic low back pain. In addition to RFA as a treatment modality, the administration of concomitantly to minimize the effect of hyperalgesia is common practice. However, there is insufficient evidence about the long-term outcomes of their use.
Methods:
This was a retrospective study that examined 239 patients who received spine, knee joint, and sacroiliac joint RFA between June 2014 and June 2018. Pre- and post-procedure pain scores, percent improvements, and duration of relief were included in our review.
Subjects:
This study included 239 patients of which 191 patients received steroids with their RFA.
Results:
These 191 patients experienced an average improvement of 48.48% relief for an average of 137.52 days. Forty-eight patients did not receive steroids with RFA and had an average improvement of 46.36% for an average of 126.10 days. The statistical analysis revealed there was no significant difference between the two groups for percent improvement (p = 0.71) and duration of relief (p = 0.67).
Conclusions:
Patients who received steroids with RFA compared to RFA alone did not differ significantly in percent improvement in pain and duration of relief.
