Aim: Traditional radiofrequency ablation (TRFA) effectively treats facet joint-related pain, while water-cooled radiofrequency ablation (CRFA) may offer benefits like larger lesions and easier nerve access. Our goal is to assess the effectiveness of TRFA and CRFA for facet joint-related pain.Materials & methods: This retrospective study included an evaluation of 346 RFA interventions performed on 190 patients suffering from long-term low-back pain. The primary outcome was defined as a decrease of ≥50% of the mean numeric rating scale.Results: The primary outcome was achieved at the first follow-up (FU) for both TRFA and CRFA, with pain relief of 55.2 and 60.5%, respectively. At the second FU, the primary outcome was achieved only in the CRFA group (54.1%), although the TRFA group also showed a good improvement (48.6%). In both groups, pain relief was under 50% during the third FU.Conclusion: Our study indicates that both CRFA and TRFA modalities are effective and safe treatments.
Keywords: Chronic low back pain; chronic lumbar facet joint pain; conventional radiofrequency ablation; cooled-radiofrequency ablation; facet related back pain.
What is this article about? In this study, the effectiveness of two different techniques of facet radiofrequency neurotomy (TRFA and CRFA) is compared. The study involved patients with facet joint-related back pain who did not improve with regular treatments but showed positive results with diagnostic blocks. The pain levels are recorded before and after treatment using a numeric rating scale at various times. The main goal was to see if pain decreased by 50% or more after the treatment. Second, the duration of time until patients need another treatment is investigated.What were the results? Both TRFA and CRFA reduced pain significantly in the first 4–8 weeks. TRFA patients had a 55.2% pain reduction, and CRFA patients had a 60.5% reduction. By 2–6 months, only the CRFA group maintained a 54.1% reduction, while the TRFA group had a 48.6% reduction. By 6–12 months, pain relief in both groups was found below 50%. Out of 81 treatments (44 TRFA and 37 CRFA), many patients needed another procedure within 6–12 months.What do the results of this study mean? Both TRFA and CRFA are effective and safe for treating chronic low back pain from facet joints. Although CRFA has some theoretical advantages over TRFA, the study found no significant difference in the outcomes between the two methods.