| Summary: | Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) using a preganglionic Kambin’s triangle approach for treating lumbar radiculopathy caused by nerve root compression due to lateral recess stenosis or posterolateral disc herniation.
Materials and Methods:
This prospective observational study was conducted between July 2018 and March 2021. A total of 70 patients were included in the study. However, 20 patients were lost to follow-up and 50 patients were followed up for 6 months post-injection. The epidural space was approached through the neuroforamen using 22-G spinal needles in 70 adult patients with lumbosacral radicular pain, and a mixture of 40 mg methylprednisolone and 0.25% plain bupivacaine (2 mL per level) was injected. Pain intensity and functional impairment were assessed with the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, respectively, at the first visit, 3 months, and 6 months.
Results:
There was a mean reduction of 4.7 points in NPRS from a mean of 8.2 preinjection to 3.5 at 6 months follow-up (P = 0.001). Likewise, a mean ODI score of 29 was recorded at 6 months follow-up (mean reduction of 13.7 points in ODI score) as compared to 42.7 at baseline (P = 0.001).
Conclusion:
TFESIs provided significant pain relief and improved function in patients with low back pain with radiculopathy caused by nerve root compression due to intervertebral disc herniations.
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