ArticleInternational journal of medical sciences2015
Analysis of efficacy differences between caudal and lumbar interlaminar epidural injections in chronic lumbar axial discogenic pain: local anesthetic alone vs. local combined with steroids.
Article in International journal of medical sciences, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of Steroid Facet Joint Injections for Axial Spinal Pain and Post Radiofrequency Ablation Neuritis: A Systematic Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Pooled it
- Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression and Interspinous Process Device for the Management of Symptomatic Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: a Literature Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Early Clinical Results of Intervertebral Joint Stabilization by Injectable Load-Sharing Polymers.Journal of pain research · 2023Trial
- Effectiveness of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Patients with Discogenic Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of healthcare engineering · 2022Trial
- Cost Utility Analysis of Cervical Therapeutic Medial Branch Blocks in Managing Chronic Neck Pain.International journal of medical sciences · 2017Trial
- Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Fluoroscopy-guided Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection and Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection for Unilateral L5-S1 Paracentral Discogenic Radicular Pain.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2025Article
- Ulnar Neuropathy Hydrodissection With Platelet Lysate and Prolotherapy: A Case Series and Review of the Literature.Cureus · 2025Article
- Mechanisms and multimodal treatment of neuropathic pain associated with degenerative cervical spondylosis: Current status and progress.Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2024Review
- Discogenic Low Back Pain: Anatomic and Pathophysiologic Characterization, Clinical Evaluation, Biomarkers, AI, and Treatment Options.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- A Self-Polymerizing Mesh of Nano-Tethers for the Mechanical Constraint of Degraded Intervertebral Discs-A Review of 25 Years of Pre-Clinical and Early Clinical Research.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- An update on epidural steroid injections: is there still a role for particulate corticosteroids?Skeletal radiology · 2023Review
- Systematic review of the effectiveness of caudal epidural steroid injections in the treatment of chronic low back or radicular pain.Interventional pain medicine · 2022Review
- Correlation Analysis Between Pain Intensity, Functional Disability and Range of Motion Using Low-Level Laser Therapy in Patients With Discogenic Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Cross-sectional Study.Journal of lasers in medical sciences · 2022Article
- Effects of Combined Spinal Epidural Anesthesia in Orthopaedic Surgery of Elderly Patients.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2022Article
- Online Videos as a Source of Physiotherapy Exercise Tutorials for Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation-A Quality Assessment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- [Facet infiltration and periradicular therapy].Der Radiologe · 2020Review
- Treatment of Discogenic Low Back Pain: Current Treatment Strategies and Future Options-a Literature Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2019Review
- Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection in Patients with Lumbar Radicular Pain; Outcome Results of 2-Year Follow-Up.Bulletin of emergency and trauma · 2019Article
- Patient-Reported Outcomes and Satisfaction after Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection for Cervical Radiculopathy.Galen medical journal · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designComparative assessment of randomized controlled trials of caudal and lumbar interlaminar epidural injections in chronic lumbar discogenic pain.
objectiveTo assess the comparative efficacy of caudal and lumbar interlaminar approaches of epidural injections in managing axial or discogenic low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Epidural injections are commonly performed utilizing either a caudal or lumbar interlaminar approach to treat chronic lumbar axial or discogenic pain, which is pain exclusive of that associated with a herniated intervertebral disc, or that is due to degeneration of the zygapophyseal joints, or due to dysfunction of the sacroiliac joints, respectively. The literature on the efficacy of epidural injections in managing chronic axial lumbar pain of presumed discogenic origin is limited.
methodsThe present analysis is based on 2 randomized controlled trials of chronic axial low back pain not caused by disc herniation, radiculitis, or facet joint pain, utilizing either a caudal or lumbar interlaminar approach, with a total of 240 patients studied, and a 24-month follow-up. Patients were assigned to receive either local anesthetic only or local anesthetic with a steroid in each 60 patient group.
resultsThe primary outcome measure was significant improvement, defined as pain relief and functional status improvement of at least 50% from baseline, which was reported at 24-month follow-ups in 72% who received local anesthetic only with a lumbar interlaminar approach and 54% who received local anesthetic only with a caudal approach. In patients receiving local anesthetic with a steroid, the response rate was 67% for those who had a lumbar interlaminar approach and 68% for those who had a caudal approach at 12 months. The response was significantly better in the lumbar interlaminar group who received local anesthetic only, 77% versus 56% at 12 months and 72% versus 54% at 24 months.
conclusionThis assessment shows that in patients with axial or discogenic pain in the lumbar spine after excluding facet joint and SI Joint pain, epidural injections of local anesthetic by the caudal or lumbar interlaminar approach may be effective in managing chronic low back pain with a potential superiority for a lumbar interlaminar approach over a caudal approach.
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Registered trials
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.