Background: The prevalence of persistent low back pain with the involvement of lumbar facet or zygapophysial joints has been described in controlled studies as varying from 15% to 45% based on the criteria of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Therapeutic interventions utilized in managing chronic low back pain of facet joint origin include intraarticular injections, medial branch nerve blocks, and neurolysis of medial branch nerves.
Objective: To determine the clinical effectiveness of therapeutic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks in managing chronic low back pain of facet joint origin.
Design: A prospective, randomized, double-blind trial.
Setting: An interventional pain management setting in the United States.
Methods: In this preliminary analysis, data from a total of 60 patients were included, with 15 patients in each of 4 groups. Thirty patients were in a non-steroid group consisting of Groups I (control, with lumbar facet joint nerve blocks using bupivacaine ) and II (with lumbar facet joint nerve blocks using bupivacaine and Sarapin); another 30 patients were in a steroid group consisting of Groups III (with lumbar facet joint nerve blocks using bupivacaine and steroids) and IV (with lumbar facet joint nerve blocks using bupivacaine, Sarapin, and steroids). All patients met the diagnostic criteria of lumbar facet joint pain by means of comparative, controlled diagnostic blocks.
Outcome Measures: Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain scale, the Oswestry Disability Index 2.0 (ODI), employment status, and opioid intake.
Results: Significant improvement in pain and functional status were observed at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months, compared to baseline measurements. The average number of treatments for 1 year was 3.7 with no significant differences among the groups. Duration of average pain relief with each procedure was 14.8 +/- 7.9 weeks in the non-steroid group, and 12.5 +/- 3.3 weeks in the steroid group, with no significant differences among the groups.
Conclusion: Therapeutic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks with local anesthetic, with or without Sarapin or steroids, may be effective in the treatment of chronic low back pain of facet joint origin.
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Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
Lumbar foraminal stenosis can be surgically treated by foraminal decompression or facet joint resection and fusion (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, TLIF). While conventional foraminal decompression poses a risk of segmental instability, the endoscopic approach (extended endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy, EELF) resects only the ventral part of the facet joint with a horizontal surgical trajectory. A prospective observational study was performed to analyze the cost-effectiveness of EELF versus TLIF.
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Department of Radiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital south campus, Shanghai, PR China.
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J Neurosurg Case Lessons
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Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Iwate Medical University, Shiwa-gun, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFNano Lett
January 2025
Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, P.R. China.
Crystals with three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic structures, characterized by diverse shapes, crystallographic planes, and morphologies, represent a significant advancement in catalysis. Differentiating and quantifying the catalytic activity of specific surface facets and sites at the single-particle level is essential for understanding and predicting catalytic performance. This study employs super-resolution radial fluctuations electrogenerated chemiluminescence microscopy (SRRF-ECLM) to achieve high-resolution mapping of electrocatalytic activity on individual 3D CuO crystals, including cubic, octahedral, and truncated octahedral structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobal Spine J
January 2025
Department of Orthopedics, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.
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