• Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Sukdeb Datta, Richard Derby, and Standiford Helm.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1301 Medical Center Drive, Nashville, TN 37027, USA.
• Pain Manag. 2011 Jan 1; 1 (1): 41-51.

AbstractThe intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) procedure is a minimally invasive technique designed to treat discogenic chronic low back pain. The debate surrounding IDET ranges from the concept of the procedure, the technique and patient selection, to its effectiveness. The procedure provides modest improvement; however, it is considered less invasive and destructive than other modalities of treatments available at the present time, and has lower cost. The effectiveness evidence is limited at the present time, but based on the results of six recently published positive single-arm studies, it appears that patients experienced a perceptible clinical benefit from the IDET procedure. Thus, IDET is recommended in patients with moderate functional impairment, relatively well-maintained disc heights and discogenic pain caused by annular tears or protrusions less than 3-4 mm after the failure of less invasive procedures.

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