Transforaminal epidural steroid injection via a preganglionic approach for lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar discogenic pain with radiculopathy

Epidural steroid injection (ESIs) is one of the treatment modalities for chronic low back pain (CLBP) with various degrees of success. We analyzed the efficacy of fluoroscopically guided transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs) via a preganglionic approach in patients with foraminal stenosis due to lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar discogenic pain with radiculopathy. We analyzed the data of 40 patients (February 2008 and April 2009) with the diagnosis of CLBP and treated by fluoroscopically guided TFESIs via a preganglionic approach. Patients were followed-up at one month (short term), six months (midterm) and one year (long term) after injections. Follow-up data collection included the Visual Numeric Pain Scale (VNS) and North American Spine Society (NASS) patient satisfaction scores. The mean age of the patients was 59.87 +/- 15.06 years (range 30 - 89 years, 25 women). Average follow-up period was 9.22 +/- 3.56 months. Statistically significant differences were observed between the pre-procedure and post-procedure VNSs (P < 0.01, Pearson Correlation Test). Improvements in VNS scores were correlated with improvements in the NASS scores. When the VNS scores were evaluated with respect to the age of patient, level numbers, gender, pre-procedure symptom duration and pre-procedure VNS, no significant differences were found (P < 0.05, linear regression test). At short term evaluation in post treatment (one month), 77.78 % of patients were found to have a successful outcome and 22.22 % were deemed failures. Overall patient satisfaction was 67.23 % in the midterm period. Additionally, 54.83 % of patients (N/n: 15/8) had a successful long-term outcome at a follow-up of one year. Our data suggest that fluoroscopically guided TFESIs via a preganglionic approach, in patients with foraminal stenosis due to lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar discogenic pain with radiculopathy, has effective outcome and patients responding to injection have significantly lower post-injection pain scores.