The Value of Short-term Pain Relief for the Prediction of Long-term Outcome After Cervical or Lumbar Nerve Root Infiltration

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2017-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purpose if this study is to assess the response to nerve root infiltration therapy in patients with cervical or lumbar disc herniations.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Holger Joswig
• Treatments: Bupivacaine; Triamcinolone; Triamcinolone Acetonide; Triamcinolone diacetate; Triamcinolone hexacetonide

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Symptomatic (pain) one-level cervical (C3-C8) or lumbar (L1-S1) radiculopathy with radiological evidence of discal nerve root compression

• Minimum VAS of 20/100

• Age between 18 - 70 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Multilevel disc herniations with multiple symptomatic nerve root compressions

• Higher motor deficits (Paresis M 0-3 of a peripheral muscle)

• Age < 18 or > 70 years

• Pregnancy

• Allergic reaction against steroids or local anaesthetic

• Bleeding disorder (Tc < 100.000/ul, Quick <50%, INR > 1.5, abnormal PTT)

• Known bleeding diathesis

• Continued anticoagulants (Warfarin = Marcoumar must be bridged with low- or high-molecular heparin; commonly, intake of Aspirin or Clopidogrel is no contraindication for infiltration therapy but is routinely paused when possible)

• Pseudoradicular pain (e.g. in facet arthrosis, iliosacral arthrosis...) - as evaluated to the best of the knowledge of the admitting physician and radiologist performing the infiltration

• Osseous spinal or foraminal stenosis

• Myelopathy

• Severe scoliosis

• Active neoplasm

• History of spinal infection / spondylodiscitis

• History of spinal surgery or previous infiltration therapy on the currently painful segment

• Rheumatic disease