"CT-guided procedures are done without any patient sedation and imply no major risks," says Diego Aguirre, MD, of Fundacion SantaFe de Bogota Medical Center and El Bosque University, Bogota, Colombia, and co-author of the study. They are minimally invasive procedures performed primarily by radiologists, who inject anesthetic and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs into the probable site to "block" where the pain is originating.
To determine the value of CT-guided interventional "blocks," Dr. Aguirre and Sonia Bermudez, MD, studied 120 patients with an average age of 61 years old. "To date, we found that less than 3% of patients who underwent a CT guided interventional procedure needed surgical treatment for pain management," says Dr. Aguirre. Since these CT guided procedures are also diagnostic tools, the rate of surgeries doesn't imply failure of the procedure, he notes.
Although the study considered back pain in general, Dr. Aguirre says, "Around 90% of the patients were referred for management of low back pain specifically."
Dr. Aguirre says the patients had a variety of symptoms including numbness and severe back pain that radiated to the legs, hip, or groin areas. He adds that most of the patients also described progression of the pain during physical activities.
Patients with low back pain are usually treated with rest, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical therapy, spinal manipulation, and, in severe cases, with surgery, Dr. Aguirre says, "In our study, patients diminished the consumption of analgesic drugs for back pain. In most of the patients treated, blocks are considered a complement of the treatment that could also include physical therapy," he adds.
"While interventional procedures have been available for many years, only recently have they shown an increasing potential in the management of patients with back pain, especially under CT guidance," says Dr. Aguirre.
The study will be presented May 6, during the American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting in San Diego.
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