TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk factors for failure and complications of intradiscal electrothermal therapy
T2 - A pilot study
AU - Cohen, Steven P.
AU - Larkin, Thomas
AU - Abdi, Salahadin
AU - Chang, Audrey
AU - Stojanovic, Milan
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2003/6/1
Y1 - 2003/6/1
N2 - Study Design. A bi-institutional, retrospective clinical data analysis. Objectives. To determine risk factors for failure and complications of intradiscal electrothermal therapy, a treatment for discogenic back pain. Summary of the Background Data. Intradiscal electrothermal therapy is a relatively new treatment for discogenic back pain. Though previous studies have shown it to be an effective treatment, there are few published studies examining complications and none examining risk factors for failure. Methods. The authors treated 79 patients with discogenic back pain using intradiscal electrothermal therapy. Complications were assessed by patient report and, when indicated, further diagnostic testing. Success or failure was determined by visual analogue pain scores at 6-month follow-up. Variables examined for their relationship to failure and complications were age, sex, duration of pain, number of levels heated, smoking history, diabetes, obesity, leg pain, and previous back surgery. Results. Forty-eight percent of patients reported more than 50% pain relief at their 6-month follow-up. There were eight complications (10%), most of which were selflimited and transient. The only risk factor associated with intradiscal electrothermal therapy failure was obesity (P = 0.01). Whereas 54% of nonobese patients reported good pain relief at 6 months, only one out of 10 obese patients had successful intradiscal electrothermal therapy. The obese patients in our study were more likely to have a complication from intradiscal electrothermal therapy than they were to obtain pain relief. Conclusion. The only risk factor found to be associated with IDET outcome was obesity, which was a strong predictor of failure. Obesity should be considered a relative contraindication to performing IDET.
AB - Study Design. A bi-institutional, retrospective clinical data analysis. Objectives. To determine risk factors for failure and complications of intradiscal electrothermal therapy, a treatment for discogenic back pain. Summary of the Background Data. Intradiscal electrothermal therapy is a relatively new treatment for discogenic back pain. Though previous studies have shown it to be an effective treatment, there are few published studies examining complications and none examining risk factors for failure. Methods. The authors treated 79 patients with discogenic back pain using intradiscal electrothermal therapy. Complications were assessed by patient report and, when indicated, further diagnostic testing. Success or failure was determined by visual analogue pain scores at 6-month follow-up. Variables examined for their relationship to failure and complications were age, sex, duration of pain, number of levels heated, smoking history, diabetes, obesity, leg pain, and previous back surgery. Results. Forty-eight percent of patients reported more than 50% pain relief at their 6-month follow-up. There were eight complications (10%), most of which were selflimited and transient. The only risk factor associated with intradiscal electrothermal therapy failure was obesity (P = 0.01). Whereas 54% of nonobese patients reported good pain relief at 6 months, only one out of 10 obese patients had successful intradiscal electrothermal therapy. The obese patients in our study were more likely to have a complication from intradiscal electrothermal therapy than they were to obtain pain relief. Conclusion. The only risk factor found to be associated with IDET outcome was obesity, which was a strong predictor of failure. Obesity should be considered a relative contraindication to performing IDET.
KW - Back pain
KW - Discogenic pain
KW - Discography
KW - Internal disc disruption
KW - Intradiscal electrothermal therapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0038617298&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0038617298&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00007632-200306010-00011
DO - 10.1097/00007632-200306010-00011
M3 - Article
C2 - 12782982
AN - SCOPUS:0038617298
SN - 0362-2436
VL - 28
SP - 1142
EP - 1147
JO - Spine
JF - Spine
IS - 11
ER -