Abstract
Background and Objectives: The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify predictors of short-term outcomes associated with a lumbosacral transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI). Materials and Methods: The medical records of 218 patients, who were diagnosed with lumbosacral radiculopathy and treated with a TFESI, were reviewed in this retrospective study. A mixture of corticosteroid, lidocaine, and hyaluronidase was injected during TFESI. Patients with >50% pain relief on the numerical rating scale compared with the initial visit constituted the good responder group. Demographic, clinical, MRI, and electrodiagnostic data were collected to assess the predictive factors for short-term outcomes of the TFESI. Results: A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that a shorter duration of symptoms and a positive sharp wave (PSW)/fibrillation (Fib) observed in electrodiagnostic study (EDx) increased the odds of significant improvement 2–4 weeks after the TFESI. Conclusions: Shorter duration of symptoms and PSW/Fib on EDx were predictors of favorable short-term response to TFESI.
Highlights
Low back pain and radiating pain are common health conditions, with a lifetime prevalence of about 40–60% [1,2,3]
We reviewed the presence of radiculopathy based on the EDx report
A statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding history of lumbar surgery, duration of symptoms, neurogenic claudication, the straight leg raise test (SLR) test, positive sharp wave (PSW)/Fib on EDx, and central canal stenosis on MRI
Summary
Low back pain and radiating pain are common health conditions, with a lifetime prevalence of about 40–60% [1,2,3]. Some studies have demonstrated the efficacy of epidural steroid injections for the treatment of radiating pain in patients with lumbosacral disk herniation [4,5,6,7]. Lumbosacral epidural injections have been widely used to treat radicular pain in clinical practice. This procedure has been used to treat patients who have undergone previous low back surgery [10]. The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify predictors of short-term outcomes associated with a lumbosacral transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI)
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