[Percutaneous neuromodulation with pulsating radiofrequency vs cryoablation for the treatment of patients with lumbar facet syndrome].

Introduction: lumbar spine pain affects a high percentage of the population and has a significant socioeconomic impact. Lumbar facet syndrome has a prevalence between 15-31% with lifetime incidence of up to 52% in some series. Due to the use of different types of treatment and different patient selection criteria, the success rate varies in the literature.

Objective: to compare results of treatment with rhizolysis applying pulsed radiofrequency versus cryoablation in patients diagnosed with lumbar facet syndrome.

Material and methods: from January 2019 to November 2019, eight patients were randomly divided into two groups: group A treated with pulsed radiofrequency and group B treated with cryoablation. Pain was assessed with the visual analogue scale and the Oswestry low back pain disability index at four weeks, in addition to three and six months.

Results: follow-up was six months. Immediately the eight patients (100%) reported improvement in symptoms and pain. Of the four patients who were in intense functional limitation, one of them became without functional limitation, and two of them went to minimum functional limitation and one to moderate functional limitation at the first month, statistically significant differences were reported.

Conclusions: both treatments control pain in the short term; there is also an improvement in physical abilities. The morbidity accompanying neurolysis either radiofrequency or cryoablation is very low.