Lumbar Selective Nerve Root Block: Comparative Study Using Two Pharmacological Formulae

摘要

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:The objective of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of 2 different pharmacological formulae in selective nerve root injections.Methods:We studied a series of 298 patients who received a selective nerve root injection and made a comparative study dividing them into 2 groups according to the drugs used. In group A, we used betamethasone 6?mg and lidocaine, while in group B, triamcinolone 60?mg and bupivacaine were used for the procedure. We evaluated the patients for a period of at least 8 months, assuming the need for surgical therapy as the failure of the procedure.Results:Both groups had 149 patients with similar etiological characteristics. Forty-seven patients (16%) required surgery to relieve pain with a similar distribution between groups (24 from group A and 23 from group B). Time between nerve root injection and surgery was 86.79 (14-360) days on average in group A and 75.76 (2-180) days in group B with no statistical difference (P = .67). Only one complication was documented, an anaphylactic shock in a patient in group B.Conclusions:Based on these results, we found no difference in the type of steroid or local anesthetic used for selective nerve root injections.