The treatment of chronic extremity pain in failed lumbar surgery. The role of lumbar sympathectomy.

Persistent lower extremity pain after unsuccessful lumbar surgery continues to be a disabling condition. The results of deafferentation procedures for radiculopathy have been disappointing. Hence, the prospect of isolating a potentially reversible component of extremity pain is quite attractive. Given the frequency with which vasomotor complaints occur in this setting, the occurrence of autonomic dysfunction seems quite plausible. Autonomic dysfunction was investigated in 17 patients who had undergone previous lumbar surgery and had chronic limb pain. Patients underwent a preblockade thermogram, sympathetic blockade, and postblockade thermograms. All patients reported substantial relief after blockade, and all underwent retroperitoneal sympathectomy. All patients were followed for at least 2 years. The clinical results were disappointing, with only one patient reporting substantial relief. Although the results of thermography initially seemed to correlate with clinical outcome, further follow-up failed to yield any correlation. Additionally, no specific combination of response to blockade or thermogram was predictive of the clinical success after sympathectomy. Now, lumbar sympathectomy is not recommended in the setting of chronic radiculopathy and persistent extremity pain.