The addition of pulsed radiofrequency to transforaminal epidural steroid injection resulted in better leg pain relief and disability improvement than steroid injection along among patients with sciatica resulting from a lumbar disk herniation, according to a study a study published by Napoli et al in Radiology. These improvements persisted for 4, 12, and 52 weeks posttherapy. In a companion press release on the findings issued by the Radiological Society of North America, the study authors emphasized the efficacy of this nonsurgical treatment method, as many patients with sciatic pain resulting from a lumbar disk herniation are treated surgically. All procedures in the study were conducted in an outpatient clinic and performed without general anesthesia. Lead author Alessandro Napoli, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology and Interventional Radiology at Policlinico Umberto I – Sapienza University of Rome, noted, “The results of our trial demonstrate that a combined treatment of pulsed radiofrequency and transforaminal epidural steroid injection leads to better outcomes at 1 year following a single 10-minute procedure.”
May 01, 2023