Open facet joint denervation as an adjunct in patients undergoing posterior lumbar decompression for spinal stenosis—a single blinded randomized controlled trial

摘要

BackgroundFacet radiofrequency denervation is a prevalent procedure used to try and relieve back pain. Despite the increasing use of this treatment, its effectiveness has been questioned. In consideration of the conflicting reports in the literature, we sought to conduct a trial to study the short-term effect of facet denervation in patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy(s) to determine the short-term effect of adding facet denervation to patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy(s) where the anatomy was exposed, allowing an open technique to be used for the denervation.