Open AccessEffectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment in Patients with Refractory Chronic Cervical Radicular Pain
Author(s) -
Min Cheol Chang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pain physician
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2150-1149
pISSN - 1533-3159
DOI - 10.36076/ppj.2020/23/e265
Subject(s) - medicine , pulsed radiofrequency , radicular pain , interventional pain management , cervical nerve , refractory (planetary science) , chronic pain , anesthesia , epidural steroid injection , neck pain , surgery , prospective cohort study , low back pain , nerve root , pain relief , physical therapy , lumbar , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , astrobiology
Background: The effect of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) stimulation for alleviatingcervical radicular pain has been demonstrated in several previous studies.Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PRF with ultrasound (US)guidance in patients with chronic cervical radicular pain that was refractory to repeatedtransforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs).Study Design: A prospective outcome study.Setting: The outpatient clinic of a single academic medical center.Methods: This study included 49 patients with chronic cervical radicular pain,unresponsive to repeated TFESIs, and who underwent PRF stimulation under USguidance. Using US, a cannula was inserted toward the cervical spinal nerve. The painintensity was evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) for cervical radicularpain at pretreatment and 1, 3, and 6 months posttreatment; and the Neck DisabilityIndex (NDI) was used for evaluating functional disability before treatment and 6 monthsposttreatment. Successful pain relief was defined as ≥ 50% reduction in the NRS-11 scoreas compared with the score before treatment.Results: Cervical radicular pain was significantly reduced at 1, 3, and 6 months postPRF (P < 0.001). At 6 months post-PRF, functional disability (NDI score) had significantlyreduced, and 63.3% of the patients achieved successful pain relief.Limitations: The small number of included patients and no long-term follow-up.Conclusions: PRF stimulation under the guidance of US is a potentially effectivetreatment method for managing refractory chronic cervical radicular pain.Key words: Ultrasound, pulsed radiofrequency, cervical radicular pain, chronic pain