Abstract
We assessed the efficacy of an epidural sited anaesthetic-corticosteroid mixture with transforaminal or interlaminar/interspinous access, in subjects with chronic lumbocruralgia or lumbosciatalgia caused by discal pathology or degenerative foraminal stenosis. From September 2003 to June 2005, 84 patients were treated in the transforaminal region and 32 in epidural space through back access (interlaminar or interspinous) with 2 ml cortisone (megacort) and 2ml anaesthetic (naropine 7.5mg/ml). All 116 patients underwent a minimum of two and a maximum of three treatment sessions. The results were evaluated for a follow-up period of ten months by comparing the answers given by the patients with the Visual Analogic Score. This was done prior to and after every single injection and during the follow-up period. Out of 142 spaces treated, improvement of symptoms for a period varying from one to three months was recorded in 74 cases (52%), for a period of more than three months in 53 (37%) cases, while in the remaining 15 (11%) cases no sufficient regression of pain was reported. In many cases of chronic lumbago/lumbosciatalgia, the percutaneous injection of an anaesthetic-cortisone mixture can be useful in relieving or even killing pain for a period of more than three months. No major complication was reported.
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