• Chan Hong Park.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Daegu Wooridul Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
• Korean J Pain. 2010 Jun 1;23(2):137-41.

BackgroundFacet joint have been implicated as a source of chronic low back pain. Radiofrequency denervation has demonstrated the most solid evidence. To increase safety and efficacy of treatment, computed tomography (CT) guidance injection has been used in several disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of CT-guided radiofrequency rhizotomy in the treatment of facet joint pain.MethodsA total of 40 patients were randomized to undergo radiofrequency facet joint denervation under CT guidance or C-arm guidance. All patients were examined visual analogue scale (VAS) score before treatment, 1 month, and 3 months after treatment.ResultsThe VAS in both groups showed significant improvement over the 1-month interval. No significant difference in the VAS score among the group was observed.ConclusionsIn this study there was no significant difference between CT guidance lumbar rhizotomy and C-arm guidance lumbar rhizotomy. Therefore CT-guided radiofrequency denervation of the lumbar facet joint was a minimally invasive technique that appears effective.

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