Radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion: a clinical observation of 30 caaes / 介入放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the clinical effects and safety of radiofrequency thermocoagulation in treating the lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion.Methods Thirty patients with lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion,whose diagnoses were confirmed by clinical manifestations and CT findings,were involved in this study.The needle was punctured to the target point of the diseased intervertebral space under C-arm fluoroscopic guidance.After the testing of sensory nerve,motor nerve and temperature was made,the target needles were heated until the nerve radiofrequency temperature meter reached the point of 92℃.This point of temperature was held for 100 seconds and the procedure was repeated for four cycles.Results Six months after the treatment,all patients showed an obvious improvement in VAS,which decreased from 7.83±0.33before operation to 2.37±0.48 after treatment(P＜0.05).According to the modified Macnab therapeutic evaluation criteria,excellent result was seen in 9,good result in 12,fair result in 5 and poor result in 4cases,with a total effective rate of 86.7%.No serious complications occurred in all patients.Conclusion Radiofrequency thermocoagulation is an effective and safe method for the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion.