Use of CT-guided periradicular injection for the treatment of foraminal and extraforaminal disc herniations

STUDY DESIGN  Retrospective case series. Evidence level IV. OBJECTIVES  To evaluate surgical candidates with foraminal or extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation treated with CT-guided periradicular injection (CTGPI) as a valid treatment option for avoiding surgery. METHODS  We carried out a retrospective evaluation of 46 consecutive patients with foraminal or extraforaminal disc herniation treated with CTGPI. CTGPI was performed only when radicular pain could not be controlled, or in patients who continued requiring pain medication following an acute episode and whose radicular pain precluded them from resuming their daily activities. Forty-six patients with a minimum 2-year follow-up met the inclusion criteria. There were 21 women and 25 men, with a mean age of 47 years. RESULTS  At 1 month after injection, 41 (89%) patients experienced a decrease in radicular pain; 3 experienced no change; and 2 had received surgical treatment. At the final follow-up visit (mean, 74 months) 6 additional patients underwent surgery while 38 (83%) did not require surgery. Pain level comparison between pre-injection and last examination showed that low back pain had decreased a mean of 5 points and radicular pain diminished a mean of 7 points. Twenty-two (58%) of the 38 nonoperated patients had no pain at all and 35 patients had resumed their normal daily activities. No complications were recorded. CONCLUSION  Based on these results, we consider that the use of CTGPI is a reliable alternative before surgery for patients with foraminal or extraforaminal disc herniation without severe motor deficit but with intractable radicular pain. [Table: see text].