Diagnostic value of lumbar facet joint injection: a prospective triple cross-over study

Specific back pain - effective diagnosis and treatment from the radiologist's point of view

The diagnosis and treatment of specific back pain is important in radiology. Due to the high number of patients suffering from back pain, it is important to provide excellent diagnostic and therapeutic support.Based on a recent literature search and considering the relevant guidelines as well as expert opinions, the aspects of specific back pain important for radiologists in terms of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment are presented.Clinical examination in combination with the medical history provides a valid suspected diagnosis. This should subsequently be verified radiologically. MRI is the most effective cross-sectional diagnostic method for investigating specific back pain. A conventional X-ray on two planes in a standing position can be a useful addition if postural causes are suspected. If the clinical symptoms match the morphological findings, radiological treatment can be carried out for nerve root involvement as well as for inflammatory changes of the facet joints. The improvement in symptoms after radiological therapy is considered good overall; at least a short-term improvement in symptoms can generally be achieved, but no reliable data is available regarding the long-term outcome. Using preparations containing triamcinolone, low dosages should be selected in accordance with the guidelines. Embedding in a multimodal pain therapy treatment concept should be considered.Radiology provides essential diagnostic findings regarding specific back pain. Interventional pain therapy is an effective and safe method of treating proven specific back pain. · First examine clinically, then confirm the suspected diagnosis radiologically.. · MRI is usually the method of choice.. · Interventional pain therapy should show success after a maximum of 2 interventions.. · The anti-inflammatory drug dose should be kept as low as possible.. · The individual course determines the number of interventions.. · Stueckle CA, Haage P. Specific back pain - effective diagnosis and treatment from the radiologist's point of view. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2024; DOI 10.1055/a-2371-1752.

Determining the Most Suitable Ultrasound-Guided Injection Technique in Treating Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome

(1) Background: Lower back pain is often caused by lumbar facet joint syndrome. This study investigated the effectiveness of three different injection methods under ultrasound guidance in treating elderly patients with lumbar facet joint syndrome. The difficulty in performing these injections was also evaluated; (2) Methods: A total of 60 elderly patients with facet joint syndrome as the cause of lower back pain were recruited and divided into 3 groups. Group 1 received medial branch block (MBB). Group 2 received intra-articular facet joint injections. Group 3 received injection into the multifidus muscle portion that covers the facet joint. Five percent dextrose water (D5W) was used as the injectant. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure the degree of lower back pain; (3) Results: Before the injection treatments, the VAS score averaged about 7.5. After three consecutive injection treatments (two weeks interval), the VAS score decreased significantly to an average of about 1 in all 3 groups, representing mild to no pain. Between group analyses also did not reveal significant statistical differences, suggesting that these procedures are equally effective; (4) Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided injection of the multifidus muscle may be a feasible option in treating elderly patients with lower back pain caused by facet joint syndrome as it is easier to perform as compared to MBB and intra-articular facet joint injection.

Ultrasound-guided lumbar medial branch blocks and intra-articular facet joint injections: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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In this systematic review and meta-analysis, ultrasound-guided lumbar medial branch blocks and facet joint injections were associated with significant risk of incorrect needle placement.

There is great interest in expanding the use of ultrasound (US), but new challenges exist with its application to lumbar facet–targeted procedures. The primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the risk of incorrect needle placement associated with US–guided lumbar medial branch blocks (MBB) and facet joint injections (FJI) as confirmed by fluoroscopy or computerized tomography (CT). An a priori protocol was registered, and a database search was conducted. Inclusion criteria included all study types. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood tool for assessing risk bias for observational cohort studies. Pooled analysis of the risk difference (RD) of incorrect needle placement was calculated. Pooled analysis of 7 studies demonstrated an 11% RD (P < 0.0009) of incorrect needle placement for US-guided MBB confirmed using fluoroscopy with and without contrast. Pooled analysis of 3 studies demonstrated a 13% RD (P < 0.0001) of incorrect needle placement for US-guided FJI confirmed using CT. The time to complete a single-level MBB ranged from 2.6 to 5.0 minutes. The certainty of evidence was low to very low. Ultrasound-guided lumbar MBB and FJI are associated with a significant risk of incorrect needle placement when confirmed by fluoroscopy or CT. The technical limitations of US and individual patient factors could contribute to the risk of incorrect needle placement.

[Therapeutic injections and manual medicine in low-back pain : Bimodal synergies between evidence and empiricism]

Hintergrund

Angelehnt an die zielorientierte Therapieplanung und -führung in der Versorgung chronisch Rheumakranker, plädiert der Autor bei Patienten mit (chronischem) degenerativem tiefem Rückenschmerz (TRS), orientiert an den differenzialtherapeutischen Grundsätzen der Manuellen Medizin (MM), und unter Kenntnis von Techniken und Evidenzen therapeutischer Lokalinfiltrationen (TLI), für die Etablierung eines strukturierten mechanismenbasierten Therapiekonzeptes im Sinne des „treat to target“ (T2T) im ambulanten schmerztherapeutischen Versorgungsbereich.

Diagnostik

Dies setzt eine konsequente (Primär‑)Diagnostik mit Schmerzanalyse unter der Prämisse, dass TRS, wenn strukturell-funktionell bedingt, immer spezifisch ist, voraus. Eine breite biopsychosoziale Anamnese und strukturbezogene klinisch-bildgebende (Ausschluss‑)Diagnostik mit funktioneller Differenzierung nach MM-Grundsätzen und ggf. interventionelle Blocks, sollten am Ende zur Formulierung einer 3‑Ebenen-Diagnose als Voraussetzung zu einer mechanismenbasiert-zielorientiert-hierarchischen Stufentherapie bei TRS führen. Diese wird in diesem Artikel pragmatisch fallorientiert, unter Implementierung von Techniken und Evidenzen der TLI und MM, vorgestellt.

Invasive Treatments for Low Back Disorders

OBJECTIVE

This abbreviated version of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine's Low Back Disorders guideline reviews the evidence and recommendations developed for invasive treatments used to manage low back disorders.

METHODS

Comprehensive systematic literature reviews were accomplished with article abstraction, critiquing, grading, evidence table compilation, and guideline finalization by a multidisciplinary expert panel and extensive peer-review to develop evidence-based guidance. Consensus recommendations were formulated when evidence was lacking and often relied on analogy to other disorders for which evidence exists. A total of 47 high-quality and 321 moderate-quality trials were identified for invasive management of low back disorders.

RESULTS

Guidance has been developed for the invasive management of acute, subacute, and chronic low back disorders and rehabilitation. This includes 49 specific recommendations.

CONCLUSION

Quality evidence should guide invasive treatment for all phases of managing low back disorders.

Conservative Treatment and Percutaneous Pain Relief Techniques in Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations

BACKGROUND

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a progressive disease with potentially dangerous consequences that affect quality of life. Despite the detailed literature, natural history is unpredictable. This uncertainty presents a challenge making the correct management decisions, especially in patients with mild to moderate symptoms, regarding conservative or surgical treatment. This article focused on conservative treatment for degenerative LSS.

METHODS

To standardize clinical practice worldwide as much as possible, the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Spine Committee held a consensus conference on conservative treatment for degenerative LSS. A team of experts in spinal disorders reviewed the literature on conservative treatment for degenerative LSS from 2008 to 2018 and drafted and voted on a number of statements.

RESULTS

During 2 consensus meetings, 14 statements were voted on. The Committee agreed on the use of physical therapy for up to 3 months in cases with no neurologic symptoms. Initial conservative treatment could be applied without major complications in these cases. In patients with moderate to severe symptoms or with acute radicular deficits, surgical treatment is indicated. The efficacy of epidural injections is still debated, as it shows only limited benefit in patients with degenerative LSS.

CONCLUSIONS

A conservative approach based on therapeutic exercise may be the first choice in patients with LSS except in the presence of significant neurologic deficits. Treatment with instrumental modalities or epidural injections is still debated. Further studies with standardization of outcome measures are needed to reach high-level evidence conclusions.

Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for lumbar facet joint pain from a multispecialty, international working group

BACKGROUND

The past two decades have witnessed a surge in the use of lumbar facet blocks and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to treat low back pain (LBP), yet nearly all aspects of the procedures remain controversial.

METHODS

After approval by the Board of Directors of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, letters were sent to a dozen pain societies, as well as representatives from the US Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense. A steering committee was convened to select preliminary questions, which were revised by the full committee. Questions were assigned to 4-5 person modules, who worked with the Subcommittee Lead and Committee Chair on preliminary versions, which were sent to the full committee. We used a modified Delphi method, whereby the questions were sent to the committee en bloc and comments were returned in a non-blinded fashion to the Chair, who incorporated the comments and sent out revised versions until consensus was reached.

RESULTS

17 questions were selected for guideline development, with 100% consensus achieved by committee members on all topics. All societies except for one approved every recommendation, with one society dissenting on two questions (number of blocks and cut-off for a positive block before RFA), but approving the document. Specific questions that were addressed included the value of history and physical examination in selecting patients for blocks, the value of imaging in patient selection, whether conservative treatment should be used before injections, whether imaging is necessary for block performance, the diagnostic and prognostic value of medial branch blocks (MBB) and intra-articular (IA) injections, the effects of sedation and injectate volume on validity, whether facet blocks have therapeutic value, what the ideal cut-off value is for a prognostic block, how many blocks should be performed before RFA, how electrodes should be oriented, the evidence for larger lesions, whether stimulation should be used before RFA, ways to mitigate complications, if different standards should be applied to clinical practice and clinical trials and the evidence for repeating RFA (see table 12 for summary).

CONCLUSIONS

Lumbar medial branch RFA may provide benefit to well-selected individuals, with MBB being more predictive than IA injections. More stringent selection criteria are likely to improve denervation outcomes, but at the expense of more false-negatives. Clinical trials should be tailored based on objectives, and selection criteria for some may be more stringent than what is ideal in clinical practice.

The Value of Video Rasterstereography in the Detection of Alterations in Posture as a Marker of Pain Relief after Targeted Infiltrations of the Lumbar Spine

BACKGROUND

Targeted infiltrations to the lumbar spine are used to identify the correct scope for surgery in patients with chronic lumbar back pain (CLBP) and multi-segmental pathologies, where radiologic imaging and clinical presentation do not match. Conclusions from that method have so far been based on individual statements of pain relief. The main principle for the infiltrations is the assumption that by locally administering an analgesic agent to possible surgical target areas, the effect of surgery can be temporarily simulated. The aim was to investigate the use of rasterstereographic posture measurements to substantiate reported pain reduction after infiltrations.

METHODS

In this case-control study (Level II), rasterstereography was performed on 57 patients and 28 reference subjects to evaluate changes in posture during 1 week of injections under fluoroscopic guidance and correlated with changes in the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (α = .05, two-sided) and presented in the form of box, scatter, and Bland-Altman plots.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The CLBP patients' trunk inclination (median 6°) and absolute lateral tilt were significantly increased (p < .01 each) compared to the reference group. No significant difference was observed for trunk length, kyphotic/lordotic angle, or lateral deviation. During infiltration, no significant difference in posture could be observed. A subgroup analysis of patients reporting the highest pain improvement indicated no significant difference. No correlation was observed with pain improvement reported by the patients during injections. Subsequent rasterstereography does not seem to be able to verify results of injections in the diagnostics of lumbar spine pathologies, as patients' reported pain relief does not correlate with a relevant alteration in posture. The short-term effect of the targeted infiltrations may not suffice to change false posture being developed over years.

Intra-articular Steroids vs Saline for Lumbar Z-Joint Pain: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To determine if intra-articular (IA) injection of corticosteroids is effective in reducing the need for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in those with dual comparative medial branch block (MBB)-confirmed lumbar z-joint pain.

DESIGN

This was a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study.

SETTING

Two academic medical centers.

SUBJECTS

Fifty-six consecutive subjects who had ≥80% pain relief during an initial screening MBB were recruited.

METHODS

Patients received a second confirmatory MBB and concurrent IA injection of either corticosteroid or saline per randomization. Twenty-nine of 56 received intra-articular corticosteroid (triamcinolone 20 mg), of whom 24 also had a positive confirmatory MBB per Spine Interventional Society guidelines, with ≥80% pain relief from both MBBs. Twenty-seven of 56 received IA saline into the z-joint during the confirmatory MBB, of whom 22 also had a positive confirmatory MBB. The primary outcome measure was the categorical need for RFA due to insufficient pain relief with intra-articular injection, and the secondary outcome was time to RFA.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in the need for an RFA between the groups (16/24 steroid, 67%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 47-82%) vs 15/22 saline (68%, 95% CI = 47-84%, P = 1.00). The average time to RFA was also not different, at 6.00 weeks for steroids vs 6.55 weeks for saline (P = 0.82).

CONCLUSIONS

Intra-articular corticosteroids were not effective in reducing the need for or the time to a radiofrequency ablation of the medial branches in those with dual MBB-confirmed lumbar z-joint pain.

Diagnostic nerve blocks in the management of low back pain secondary to facet joint syndrome

Low back pain is currently one of the main public health problems. Among the multiple causes, pain in the zygapophysial joints, also called facets or posterior vertebral joints, are an important cause, usually secondary to osteoarthritis. The source of low back pain is often difficult to find, making the therapeutic approach to the patient sub-optimal. Diagnostic blocks are a very important tool in establishing an adequate treatment for patients with low back pain, as long as they are performed accurately, with an adequate local anaesthetic volume, with a suitable image and fluoroscopic projection and its result are precisely interpreted. In this article a review is presented on the importance of diagnostic blocks, as well as how they should be performed in order to obtain the maximum information and the greatest therapeutic benefit.

Predictability of the effects of facet joint infiltration in the degenerate lumbar spine when assessing MRI scans

Background

Imaging results are frequently considered as hallmarks of disease by spine surgeons to plan their future treatment strategy. Numerous classification systems have been proposed to quantify or grade lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and thus objectify imaging findings. The clinical impact of the measured parameters remains, however, unclear. To evaluate the pathological significance of imaging findings in patients with multisegmental degenerative findings, clinicians can perform image-guided local infiltrations to target defined areas such as the facet joints.

The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate the correlation of MRI facet joint degeneration and spinal stenosis measurements with improvement obtained by image-guided intraarticular facet joint infiltration.

Methods

Fifty MRI scans of patients with chronic lumbar back pain were graded radiologically using a wide range of classification and measurement systems. The reported effect of facet joint injections at the site was recorded, and a comparative analysis performed.

Results

When we allocated patients according to their reported pain relief, 27 showed no improvement (0–30%), 16 reported good improvement (31–75%) and 7 reported excellent improvement (> 75%). MRI features assessed in this study did, however, not show any relevant correlation with reported pain after facet joint infiltration: Values for Kendall’s tau ranged from τ = − 0.190 for neuroforaminal stenosis grading as suggested by Lee, to τ = 0.133 for posterior disc height as proposed by Hasegawa.

Conclusion

Despite the trend in evidence-based medicine to provide medical algorithms, our findings underline the continuing need for individualised spine care that, along with imaging techniques or targeted infiltrations, includes diagnostic dimensions such as good patient history and clinical examination to formulate a diagnosis.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03308149, retrospectively registered October 2017

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13018-017-0685-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Establishing the diagnosis of low back pain: patient selection for interventional pain medicine

SUMMARY Low back pain is one of the most prominent healthcare problems but there is no gold standard for its diagnosis. Aspecific low back pain can be subdivided into radicular and mechanical pain. The diagnosis mainly relies on a combination of elements, such as medical history, physical examination, medical imaging and other possible additional tests. Once a working diagnosis has been established, confirmation of the causative structure and level is sought by means of diagnostic blocks. The use of the different diagnostic tests and blocks should be guided by the balance between the potential benefit (mainly in terms of improved treatment outcome, the possible burden for the patient and the chances of withholding potential effective treatment to patients) with false-negative test results.