CLINICAL OUTCOME OF STEROID INJECTION AND

ABLATIVE RADIOFREQUENCY IN 43 PATIENTS

Achmad Fahmi, MD; Agus Turchan, MD, PhD; Wihasto Suryaningtyas, MD

Functional Neurosurgery Division, Department of Neurosurgery

Faculty of Medicine, Airlangga University, DR Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia
C-arm guidance procedure

OBJECTIVES

To report the outcome of steroid injection and ablative radiofrequency in 43 patient with
persistent severe spinal pain followed up for 2 years.

METHODS
We performed interventional pain management in 43 patients with axial
and radicular pain. Forty one patients had degenerative process at the
spine, one patient with failed back surgery, and one patient with
compression fracture confirmed by spinal MRI. Thirty five patients (81% )
underwent steroid injection and 8 patients (19%) had ablative
radiofrequency.(1, 2) We used steroid either triamcinolone or
methylprednisolone or dexamethasone depend on the site of the
procedure.(3)(3) Pulse or thermal radiofrequency was used for ablative
procedure.(4) C-Arm was used for guiding.(5) Follow up was done by
interviewing the patients regarding the subjective experience after
procedure.

A. Epidural injection, B. Selective nerve root

RESULTS

Almost all (88%) of the patients who had steroid injection experienced the pain free period for 20 weeks. Four
patients (12%) had about 20 to 30 weeks period of pain free ( fig.1 ). It is different with patients that performed ablative
radiofrequency. Almost all (75%) of the patients that performed ablative radiofrequency had more than 20 weeks pain
free time, and just 2 patients (25%) had before 20 weeks pain free time ( fig. 2 ).
Most of the patient had good response immediately after the procedure, and stayed convenient for about 3
months after steroid injection and 7 months after ablative radiofrequency. Patient needed to had another procedure
when the patient felt the pain again, and the shortest time period for repeated procedure was about 1 week for steroid
injection and 4 weeks for ablative radiofrequency.
REFERENCES:

CONCLUSIONS

Interventional pain management was the

safe and convinience to control the pain.
Safe and minimal invasive procedure and
one-day-care treatment are some of the
advantages offered by this procedure.
Ablative radiofrequency offers a longer pain
free period than the steroid injection.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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