Efficacy of epidural methylprednisolone in radicular pain

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIntroduction: Degenerative disc disease is a prevalent and disabling disease. When the conservative treatment fails to obtain pain relief, epidural steroids are an alternative frequently used worldwide.Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of epidural methylprednisolone in patients with radicular pain.Methodology: Descriptive longitudinal retrospective study in patients with chronic radicular pain who received fluoroscopy-guided interventional treatment, between July 2010 and December 2011 at Instituto Colombiano del Dolor (Medellín-Colombia), to determine the efficacy and safety of epidural methylprednisolone in clinical practice. Pain relief was followed using the visual analogue scale, during at least 8 weeks.Results: 254 patients were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 52.8 years (SD ± 15); 52.8% were men. The main diagnosis was lower-limb radicular pain (87.7%). The most frequent procedures were transforaminal lumbar injection (54.3%) and interlaminar lumbar injection (17.7%). The proportion of patients with more than 50% pain relief 50% was 85.8%.There were no differences in efficacy between the procedures. Pain improvement lasted more than 8 weeks in 55% of patients. The incidence of complications was lower than 1%.Conclusions: When radicular pain is refractory to conservative treatment based on pharmacological and physical therapy, epidural methylprednisolone is an effective and safe method in our setting.

Comparative effects of epidural steroid injections on disc bulging and disc protrusion in patients with discogenic low back pain

“…The e cacy of epidural steroids is controversial given the lack of control and quality of most studies. In our study, it was observed that epidural steroid administration relieved discogenic low back pain, as consistent with the literature [13]. We consider that the reason for the variation in the results reported in the literature could be associated with the effect of steroid types, frequency of administration, injection volume, radiological characteristics of the disc, and the absence of precise guidelines.…”

Comparative Effectiveness of Epidural Steroid İnjections in Patients With Disc Bulging and Disc Protrusion

“…The efficacy of ESI is controversial given the lack of control and quality of most studies. In our study, it was observed that epidural steroid administration relieved discogenic low back pain similar to the literature [38].…”

“…The efficacy of ESI is controversial given the lack of control and quality of most studies. In our study, it was observed that epidural steroid administration relieved discogenic low back pain similar to the literature [ 38 ]. The reason for the different results in the literature is thought to be the effect of steroid type, frequency of administration, injection volume, radiological characteristics of the disc, and the absence of precise guides.…”