The TFEI provided significant short-term pain relief and PRF can be applied in conjunction with TFEI to achieve higher treatment efficacy compared with TFEI alone.
The oxygen free radicals may be closely associated with inflammatory process and the severity of acute pancreatitis. Especially, the concentration of plasma LPO is a meaningful index for determining the severity of the disease.
We have developed a three‐dimensional inverse scheme for carrying out DC resistivity surveys, incorporating complicated topography as well as arbitrary electrode arrays. The algorithm is based on the finite‐element approximation to the forward problem, so that the effect of topographic variation on the resistivity data is effectively evaluated and incorporated in the inversion. Furthermore, we have enhanced the resolving power of the inversion using the active constraint balancing method. Numerical verifications show that a correct earth image can be derived even when complicated topographic variation exists. By inverting the real field data acquired at a site for an underground sewage disposal plant, we obtained a reasonable image of the subsurface structures, which correlates well with the surface geology and drill log data.
BackgroundFacet joint disease plays a major role in axial low-back pain. Few diagnostic tests and imaging methods for identifying this condition exist. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is reported that it has a high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing facet disease. We prospectively evaluated the use of bone scintigraphy with SPECT for the identification of patients with low back pain who would benefit from medial branch block.MethodsSPECT was performed on 33 patients clinically suspected of facet joint disease. After SPECT, an ultrasound guided medial branch block was performed on all patients. On 28 SPECT-positive patients, medial branch block was performed based on the SPECT findings. On 5 negative patients, medial branch block was performed based on clinical findings. For one month, we evaluated the patients using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index. SigmaStat and paired t-tests were used to analyze patient data and compare results.ResultsOf the 33 patients, the ones who showed more than 50% reduction in VAS score were assigned 'responders'. SPECT positive patients showed a better response to medial branch blocks than negative patients, but no changes in the Oswestry disability index were seen.ConclusionsSPECT is a sensitive tool for the identification of facet joint disease and predicting the response to medial branch block.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.