Photo Credit: Magicmine
The following is a summary of “Short-Term Outcome of Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection in Patients with Radicular Pain Due to Foraminal Stenosis from Lumbar Isthmic Spondylolisthesis,” published in the February 2024 issue of Pain by Choi et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the effectiveness of transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI) for chronic radicular pain due to foraminal stenosis, also investigating its link to isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS) severity.
They enrolled 40 patients with radicular pain from IS-induced foraminal stenosis, administering TFESI. Two patients were lost during follow-up. Based on lateral lumbar radiograph findings, patients with < 25% slippage by IS were assigned to group 1 (n = 23), and those with 25–50% slippage to group 2 (n = 15). Pain intensity, assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS), was recorded pre-treatment and at 1 and 2 months post-TFESI.
The results showed that in 38 patients, NRS significantly decreased at 1- and 2-month follow-ups from pre-treatment. In group analysis, NRS scores significantly reduced post-TFESI in Groups 1 and 2, irrespective of IS severity. Notably, the reduction in NRS scores 1 month after TFESI was significantly more significant in group 1 than in group 2. Additionally, the success rate of treatment outcomes was significantly higher in Group 1 (65.2%) than in Group 2 (26.7%).
Investigators concluded that TFESI significantly reduced chronic radicular pain for at least 2 months, with greater effectiveness in patients with less than 25% vertebra slippage due to IS.
