Volume 27, Issue 134, April 2023

The place of epiduroscopy in the management of low back pain after lumbar surgery

Emrullah Cem Kesılmez^♦, Zafer Yüksel

Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

^♦Corresponding author
Emrullah Cem Kesilmez, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Kahramanmaraş Turkey

ABSTRACT

Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the outcomes of epiduroscopy used in the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain in patients having previously undergone lumbar surgery. Materials and Methods: In the present study, patients who presented to Neurosurgery Clinic at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University due to chronic low back and leg pain between December 31, 2017 and August 1, 2022, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with persistent pain after having undergone spinal surgery for spinal stenosis and lumbar discopathy were included in the study. According to the VAS (Visula Analague Scale) pain was evaluated before the procedure, immediately after the procedure 0^th, 15^th, 30^th, 90^th days after the procedure. Functionel status was examined according to Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The satisfaction of the patients was evaluated according to the Odom’s criteria on the 90^th day after the procedure. Results: Hundred and twenty-seven patients were included in the study. The patients were evaluated into two groups as patients with spinal stenosis (Group SS) and patients with lumbar disc herniation (Group LDH). The difference between the groups in age, after procedure 30^th day ODI scores and post procedure 30^th VAS scores was significant. Considering all the patients according to the Odom’s criteria, 87 patients (62.7%) rated their satisfaction as excellent or good. Conclusion: In the management of persistent low back pain after spinal surgery, epiduroscopy offers a strong alternative to repeat surgery due to the fact that it is a less invasive procedure and it provides good outcomes in terms of patient satisfaction.

Keywords: Epiduroscopy, previous lumbar surgery, Odom’s criteria, Oswestry Disability Index, Visual Analogue Scale

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e199ms3015

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v27i134/e199ms3015

Published: 24 April 2023