Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23818771›Full record

ArticleClinical interventions in aging2013

Radiofrequency treatment has a beneficial role in reducing low back pain due to facet syndrome in octogenarians or older.

Shay Shabat, Yossi Leitner, Gabriel Bartal, Yoram Folman

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical interventions in aging, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Trends in lumbar radiofrequency ablation utilization from 2007 to 2016.The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society · 2019
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Shay ShabatThe Spine Unit, Sapir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel. drshabat@hotmail.com
Yossi Leitner
Gabriel Bartal
Yoram Folman
Meir Medical Center · ILHillel Yaffe Medical Center · ILTel Aviv University · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionChronic low back pain is a disabling phenomenon that can cause a severe reduction in quality of life, especially in elderly patients. Surgical treatment is sometimes a big challenge for these elderly patients. Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is an increasingly popular method for treating low back pain caused by facet syndrome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether RF neurotomy is effective in terms of pain reduction and functional outcome in elderly patients. PATIENTS AND

methodsFifty-eight patients aged 80 years and older who had chronic mechanical low back pain were examined after they underwent RF heat lesion of the medial branch. Follow-up occurred 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Pain was measured on the visual analog scale and functional outcome was measured using the Oswestry Disability Index.

resultsAfter 1 month, 43 patients (74%) were satisfied with the results. After 3 months, 38 patients (66%) had clinically significant pain relief. After 6 months, 33 patients (57%) had pain relief, and at the 1-year follow-up, 30 patients (52%) showed good results while 28 patients (48%) showed no effect. The Oswestry Disability Index score was substantially improved even after 1 year. Minor complications occurred in eleven patients (19%), who had transient discomfort and burning pain.

conclusionRF is a safe and partially effective procedure for treating elderly patients with mechanical back pain due to facet syndrome.

Indexed as

Aged, 80 and overCatheter AblationChronic DiseaseDisability EvaluationFemaleGeriatric AssessmentHumansLow Back PainMalePain MeasurementQuality of LifeRadio WavesRecovery of FunctionSyndromeTreatment OutcomeZygapophyseal Jointelderlyfacet syndromemechanical back painoctogenariansradiofrequency

Identifiers

PMID23818771
PMCPMC3693728
OpenAlexW2069792620

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.