Fluoroscopically guided interlaminar needle for lumbar disc herniation: a series of 43 patients

BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is the most common cause of back and leg pain. We developed a specially designed needle and a minimally invasive interventional procedure to treat LDH. OBJECTIVES: Assess outcomes of procedure and describe our methodology and clinical application. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: A chronic pain management center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with LDH underwent fluoroscopically guided interventional interlaminar needling using a specially designed curved round needle. The outcome measures were evaluated three times: before the intervention and at 6 and 12 months after the intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). SAMPLE SIZE: 43 patients. RESULTS: Six months after the intervention, the VAS pain score decreased by 5.1 (2.2) points and the ODI decreased by 30.7% (16.6%) compared to baseline. Twelve months after the intervention, the VAS pain score decreased by 6.2 (1.7) points and the ODI decreased by 36.9% (15.2%) compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that fluoroscopically guided interventional interlaminar needling has clinical significance in managing pain resulting from LDH. LIMITATIONS: This was an exploratory case series study. Additional studies and randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of the technique compared to other treatments. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.