Objective: The objective of the study was to see if transforaminal injection of steroids might be an effective treatment for persistent radicular pain after disc surgery.
Design: The study was designed as a retrospective practice audit covering a time period of 2 years.
Setting: The study was set in a single spine center in which all patients underwent lumbar disc surgery, postoperative follow-up, and subsequent treatment.
Interventions: Patients with postsurgical radicular pain were treated with a transforaminal injection of a steroid. The effect was evaluated in terms of pain reduction, duration of pain relief, and in relation to a recurrent disc herniation in postperative magnetic resonance imaging.
Results: Of 479 patients who underwent microsurgical lumbar disc surgery, 69 had persistent radicular pain. Transforaminal injection of steroid achieved pain reduction of at least 50% in 26.8% of these patients. The success rate was higher (43%) in patients without a recurrent disc herniation.
Conclusions: Transforaminal injection of steroid appears to be effective in only a minority of patients with radicular pain persisting after disc surgery, but is more often effective in patients without recurrent disc herniation.
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