OBJECTIVES
To report the outcome of steroid injection and ablative radiofrequency in 43 patient with persistent severe spinal pain followed up for 2 years.

METHODS

We performed interventional pain management in 43 patients with axial and radicular pain. Forty one patients had degenerative process at the
spine, one patient with failed back surgery, and one patient with compression fracture confirmed by spinal MRI. Thirty five patients (81% )
underwent steroid injection and 8 patients (19%) had ablative radiofrequency.(1, 2) We used steroid either triamcinolone or methylprednisolone or dexamethasone depend on the site of the procedure.(3)(3) Pulse or thermal radiofrequency was used for ablative procedure.(4) C-Arm was used for guiding.(5) Follow up was done by interviewing the patients regarding the subjective experience after procedure.

Almost all (88%) of the patients who had steroid injection experienced the pain free period for 20 weeks. Four patients (12%) had about 20 to 30 weeks period of pain free ( fig.1 ). It is different with patients that performed ablative radiofrequency. Almost all (75%) of the patients that performed ablative radiofrequency had more than 20 weeks pain free time, and just 2 patients (25%) had before 20 weeks pain free time ( fig. 2 ). Most of the patient had good response immediately after the procedure, and stayed convenient for about 3 months after steroid injection and 7 months after ablative radiofrequency. Patient needed to had another procedure when the patient felt the pain again, and the shortest time period for repeated procedure was about 1 week for steroid injection and 4 weeks for ablative radiofrequency.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventional pain management was the safe and convinience to control the pain. Safe and minimal invasive procedure and one-day-care treatment are some of the advantages offered by this procedure. Ablative radiofrequency offers a longer pain free period than the steroid injection.

References

1. Hammer M, Noe CE, Racz GB, Ruiz-Lopez R, Pichot C. Spinal Neuroaxial Procedures of the Head and Neck. In: Raj PP, Lou L, Erdine S, Staats PS, Waldman SD, Racz G, et al., editors. Interventional Pain Management. Second Edition ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2008. p. 127-87.
2. Landers MH, Jones RL, Rosenthal RM, Derby R. Lumbar Spinal Neuroaxial Procedures. In: Raj PP, Lou L, Erdine S, Staats PS, Waldman SD, Racz G, et al., editors. Interventional Pain Management. Second Edition ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2008. p. 322-67.
3. Heavner JE. Drugs Used in Interventional Techniques. In: Raj PP, Lou L, Erdine S, Staats
   PS, Waldman SD, Racz G, et al., editors. Interventional Pain Management. Second Edition ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2008. p. 40-55.
4. Calodney AK. Lumbar Facet Joint Blocks and Neurotomy. In: Raj PP, Lou L, Erdine S,
   Staats PS, Waldman SD, Racz G, et al., editors. Interventional Pain Management. Second Edition ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2008. p. 368-81.
5. Lou L, Raj PP. Imaging Techniques. In: Raj PP, Lou L, Erdine S, Staats PS, Waldman SD,
   Racz G, et al., editors. Interventional

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