Long-term follow-up in sacroiliac joint pain patients treated with radiofrequency ablative therapy

• Main Author: Romero,Flávio Ramalho
• Publication Date: 2015
• Other Authors: Vital,Roberto Bezerra, Zanini,Marco Antônio, Ducati,Luis Gustavo, Gabarra,Roberto Colichio
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria (Online)
• Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2015000600476
• topic: sacroiliac joint pain; radiofrequency; numeric rating scale; patient global impression of change scale

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is responsible for up to 40% of all cases of lumbar back pain.Objective Report the long-term efficacy of radiofrequency denervation for sacroiliac joint pain at six, twelve and eighteen months.Method Third-two adults’ patients with sacroiliac join pain diagnosis were included for a prospective study. Primary outcome measure was pain intensity on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary outcome measure was Patient Global Impression of Change Scale (PGIC).Results Short-term pain relief was observed, with the mean NRS pain score decreasing from 7.7 ± 1.8 at baseline to 2.8 ± 1.2 at one month and to 3.1 ± 1.9 at six months post-procedure (p < 0.001). Long-term pain relief was sustained at twelve and eighteen months post-procedure, with NRS pain remaining at 3.4 ± 2.1 and 4.0 ± 2.7, respectively.Conclusion Radiofrequency denervation of the SIJ can significantly reduce pain in selected patients with sacroiliac syndrome.