Lumber Radiofrequency Ablation
BACKGROUND:
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a procedure using heat to interrupt pain
signals in spinal nerves, is an emerging treatment option for chronic low back
pain. Its clinical efficacy has not yet been established.
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the efficacy of RFA for chronic low back pain associated
with lumbar facet joints, sacroiliac joints, discogenic low back pain and the
coccyx.
METHODS:
A systematic review was conducted. Medline, EMBASE, PubMed,
SPORTDiscus, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library were searched up to August 2013.
Abstracts and full-text articles were reviewed in duplicate.
Included articles were sham-controlled randomized controlled
trials (RCTs), assessed the efficacy of RFA, reported at least one month of
follow-up and included participants who had experienced back pain for at least
three months.
RESULTS:
The present systematic review retrieved 1063 abstracts. Eleven
sham-controlled RCTs were included: three studies involving discogenic back
pain; six studies involving lumbar facet joint pain; and two studies involving
sacroiliac joint pain. No studies were identified assessing the coccyx.
The evidence supports RFA as an efficacious treatment for lumbar facet joint and sacroiliac
joint pain, with five of six and both of the RCTs demonstrating statistically
significant pain reductions, respectively. The evidence supporting RFA for the
treatment of discogenic pain is mixed.
CONCLUSIONS:
While the majority of the studies focusing on lumbar facet joints
and sacroiliac joints suggest that RFA significantly reduces pain in short-term
follow-up, the evidence base for discogenic low back pain is mixed. There is no
RCT evidence for RFA for the coccyx. Future studies should examine the clinical
significance of the achieved pain reduction and the long-term efficacy of RFA.
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