Therapeutic Role of Transforaminal Steroid Injection for the Management of Radicular Pain: Survival Rate in Patients with Radicular Pain Secondary to Degenerative Lumbar Pathology

Abstract

Background: The effectiveness of transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) as a therapeutic tool for radicular pain (RP) in the short term has been demonstrated, however, in the medium or long term it is controversial. Objectives: The objective of this work is to evaluate its usefulness as a therapeutic tool through survival analysis. Study Design: Method: Retrospective evaluation of 93 patients with RP secondary to degenerative pathology (DP) of the lumbar spine, submitted to TFESI, by the same spine surgeon, analyzing demographic variables and clinical results according to McNab score, as well as analysis of survival rate of TFESI using Kaplan Meier curve. Results: Of the 93 patients, 59% was male and 41% female, with a mean age of 64 years, with an average follow-up of 27 months. The most frequently infiltrated level was L4-L5 (55.9%) and sciatica was the most common symptom (88.1%) of the patients. The most frequent diagnosis found was disc herniation in 51.6%. 87% of the patients reported improved their symptoms according to the McNab Score, indicating excellent, good or fair results. Only 12.9% indicates poor results. 12.9% of the patients required surgery or a second TFESI within the first three months. The survival rate obtained in our study was of 81% at 51 months. Conclusion: The results obtained in our study showed favorable results with a survival rate of 81% at 51 months for the TFESI, suggesting its efficacy for the management of RD in the medium and long term, thus being able to avoid more invasive procedures with their potential risks