Abstract
Delport EG, Cucuzzella AR, Marley JK, Pruitt CM, Fisher JR. Treatment of lumbar spinal
stenosis with epidural steroid injections: a retrospective outcome study. Arch Phys
Med Rehabil 2004;85:479–84.
Objective
To determine patient satisfaction, relief of pain, frequency of injections, change
of function, and subsequent surgical rate in patients who received epidural steroid
injections (ESIs) for the diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).
Design
Retrospective review conducted using a standard set of questions asked over the telephone,
6 to 36 months after the patient received an ESI.
Setting
An outpatient spine center.
Participants
One hundred forty patients at or over the age of 55 years diagnosed with LSS who received
ESI(s).
Intervention
Transforaminal or caudal fluoroscopically guided ESIs with 60 to 100mg of triamcinalone
in combination with local anesthetic or normal saline.
Main outcome measures
Duration and amount of pain relief, change in functional status, patient satisfaction,
and surgical rate, assessed by a 5-item questionnaire.
Results
Of the 140 participants, 32% reported more than 2 months of pain relief, 39% reported
less than 2 months of pain relief, and 29% reported no relief from the injection(s).
Twenty percent subsequently had surgery. Fifty-three percent reported improvement
in their functional abilities. Seventy-four percent where at least somewhat satisfied
with ESI as a form of treatment.
Conclusions
ESI is a reasonable treatment for LSS, providing one third of our patient population
with sustained relief and more than half with sustained improvement in function.
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
☆No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the author(s) or on any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
