요통 환자에서 척추후지 내측지 고주파 열응고술의 효과 = The Effect of Lumbar Medial Branch Rhizotomy in Patients with Low Back Pain

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Background: A number of patients complain of lower back pain due to facet joint problems, and radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) of medial branches is known to be an effective method of relieving pain caused by the problems. However, objective outcome assessments for this modality are limited so far. Therefore, the authors investigated the effect of the RFTC on the low back pain. Methods: The object of this study was 25 patients who had facet joint syndrome and underwent RFTC. Pain relief was estimated at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after the procedure using a visual analog scale (VAS), and was regarded to be successful if pain reduction exceeded 50% on the VAS at 6 weeks. Results: Seven of the 25 patients did not respond favorably to RFTC application and their pain reduction was less than 50%. Of the 18 patients who showed a successful response, 17 had a favorable result up to 3 months and 15 patients up to 6 months after the procedure. Conclusion: Our result showed that lumbar medial branch rhizotomy using RFTC, is an effective treatment modality for patients with lumbar facet joint syndrome, and showing a successful response its effect is maintained for at least 6 months after the procedure in most patients.