The effect of polydeoxyribonucleotide on the treatment of radiating leg pain due to cystic mass lesion in inner aspect of right sciatic foramen: A CARE compliant case report

RATIONALE: Radiating leg pain usually originates from the lumbar spine and occasionally from peripheral lesions. Here we report a case involving a patient with radiating pain in the right leg who exhibited 2 suspicious lesions, including 1 spinal lesion and 1 extraspinal cystic mass lesion, on magnetic resonance imaging. Polydeoxyribonucleotide sodium (PDRN) was recently noted as such a substitute. PDRN has anti-inflammatory effects, as it lowers the expression of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 51-year-old man (weight, 93 kg; height, 168 cm) working as a bus driver presented at the pain clinic with continuous right buttock pain, radiating leg pain and a tingling sensation involving the calf and dorsum of the foot, since 1 week. DIAGNOSES: He was definitively diagnosed using differential blocks, which revealed the cyst to be the actual cause of the pain. INTERVENTIONS: Surgical resection was not feasible because of the position of the cyst; therefore, corticosteroid injection under ultrasonographic guidance was attempted. However, this provided short-term relief. Subsequently, a solution containing PDRN was injected around the piriformis muscle and repeated 3 more times at intervals of 2 weeks. OUTCOMES: After PDRN injection, we conducted two follow-up monitoring every two months for 2 months. Last follow-up, the patient no longer complained of pain. this resulted in relatively long-term relief from pain. LESSONS: The findings from this case suggest that PDRN is an effective alternative for steroids in patients with radiating leg pain, although its efficacy and safety needs to be evaluated in further large-scale studies.