Translaminar steroid injections into the cervical spine may help relieve chronic neck pain, according to a retrospective study.Among 161 patients who underwent the translaminar approach, rather than the more commonly used transforaminal approach, 82% reported pain relief at the first injection, which 35% rated "substantial," said William M. Strub, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati.
Those who had the recommended series of three injections reported even better outcomes, he reported at the Society of Interventional Radiology meeting here.
Furthermore, the lack of major complications were reassuring for this underused procedure, said Brian F. Stainken, M.D., of the Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, R.I., who moderated a press conference during which the study was discussed.
The procedure, which involves using a fine gauge needle to inject steroids into the spinal column at the C7-T1, is more commonly used to treat lower back pain.
Dr. Strub and colleagues retrospectively analyzed outcomes from all 161 patients (69 male, average age 53) who underwent a total of 280 cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injections from December 2003 through April 2006.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SIRMeeting/tb1/5185
No comments:
Post a Comment