Summary
The present series includes 47 patients (35 females 12 males) with an average observation time of 8 months after percutaneous lumbar facet denervation by radiofrequency electrocoagulation. All patients had static and kinetic lumbar pain; 90% of them had pain radiating into the legs. None had clinical or radiologic (radiculography and/or CT scan) evidence of a lumbar disc herniation, and all had exhausted conservative therapy. All but one had provocation of their habitual pain on arthrography of the relevant intervertebral lumbar joints and/or on intraoperative stimulation prior to electrocoagulation. 22/47 of the patients had no immediate or late beneficial effect of the electrocoagulation. Eight of the remaining 25 patients had satisfactory relief of pain at follow-up. The failures included all patients with previous multiple lumbar operations except for three.
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Part of this read as paper at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Scandinavian Neurosurgical Society, June 1–4, 1983, Helsinki, Finland.
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Andersen, K.H., Mosdal, C. & Værnet, K. Percutaneous radiofrequency facet denervation in low-back and extremity pain. Acta neurochir 87, 48–51 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02076015
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02076015