Korean J Anesthesiol.  2002 Jan;42(1):83-88. 10.4097/kjae.2002.42.1.83.

The Efficacy of Radiofrequency Neurotomy of the Ramus Communicans Nerve for Intractable Chronic Discogenic Pain

• Oh WS
• Rho WH
• Hwnag JG
• Kim KM
• Jung SW
• Kim HS
• Lee SC

• KMID: 2091670
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2002.42.1.83

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic discogenic pain is commonly intractable to various conservative treatments and anatomic correction through operation. Nowadays, a radiofrequency thermocoagualation technique applying the pathophysiologic mechanism that cause discogenic pain and the pathways of transmission of discogenic pain have been successfully tried. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of radiofrequecy thermocoagulation of the ramus communicans nerve in patients who suffered from intractable discogenic pain even after intradiscal electrothermal therapy.
METHODS
The authors evaluated 13 cases in which radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the ramus communicans nerve was used for patients suffering from chronic discogenic pain even after intradiscal electrothermotherapy. Ten weeks after the procedure, we compared VAS scores of the pre- procedure and post-procedure state.
RESULTS
Fifty-four percent of patients had an excellent decrease in the VAS score (VAS < 3). One patient complained of a mild motor weakness of the lower extremity but recovered completely by postoperative day 26.
CONCLUSIONS
In the cases of intractable chronic discogenic pain, it is valuable to perform a rhizotomy of the ramus communicans nerve with radiofrequency.

Keyword

Discogenic pain; radiofrequency neurotomy; ramus communicans nerve

MeSH Terms

Electrocoagulation
Humans
Lower Extremity
Rhizotomy