Comparison of the eficacy of epidural steroid injection applied in cervical and lumbar regions

Halil Çetingök1, Meltem Kanar2

1Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey
2Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Ministry of Health Elazığ Fethi Sekin City Hospital, Elazığ, Turkey

Keywords: Chronic pain, clinical efficacy, epidural steroid injection, interlaminer, transforaminal.

Abstract

Objectives: Epidural injections have been used for many years in the treatment of chronic pain in patients with chronic backleg
pain and chronic neck-arm pain. We aimed to compare the efficacy of lumbar and cervical epidural steroid injections on
pain palliation, duration of pain relief and patient satisfaction.
Methods: This is a Retrospective, observational single-center study. A total of 159 patients (96 females, 63 males) who were
performed epidural steroid injections in cervical and lumbar regions were included in the study. The patients were divided
into two groups as lumbar epidural steroid injection “Group 1” and cervical epidural steroid injection “Group 2”. We retrospectively
evaluated the patients for numerical rating scale (NRS) prior and after the injection, the duration of the pain relief,
whether any complication occured related to injection and patient satisfaction.
Results: 130 patients in Group 1 and 29 patients in Group 2 were evaluated. Median NRS before the procedure: 8 in Group 1,
7 in Group 2 and median NRS after the procedure: 3 in Group 1, 4 in group 2. Patient satisfaction with the procedure 56.15% in
Group 1 and 48.62% in Group 2. Mean duration of pain relief 7.23 months in Group 1 and 8.17 months in Group 2. There were
no statistically significant difference in the evaluated parameters between the two groups.
Conclusion: It was observed that the pain relief, duration of pain relief and patient satisfaction were similar for cervical and
lumbar epidural steroid injections.