SynthesisMedicine2016
The Effectiveness of Transforaminal Versus Caudal Routes for Epidural Steroid Injections in Managing Lumbosacral Radicular Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06240793 (Comparison of Unilateral and Bilateral Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection in Unilateral Lumbosacral Disc Herniation), which is not on this map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Comparison of Unilateral and Bilateral Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection in Unilateral Lumbosacral Disc Herniation: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is platelet-rich plasma better than steroids as epidural drug of choice in lumbar disc disease with radiculopathy? Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) · 2025Pooled it
- Epidural corticosteroid injections for lumbosacral radicular pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- The short and midterm outcomes of lumbar transforaminal epidural injection with preganglionic and postganglionic approach in lumbosacral radiculopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2018Pooled it
- Comparison of Clinical Effects and Physical Examination of Transforaminal and Caudal Steroid Injection With Targeted Catheter in Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.Brain and behavior · 2024Trial
- "Platelet-Rich Plasma" epidural injection an emerging strategy in lumbar disc herniation: a Randomized Controlled Trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Reducing Radiation Exposure in Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections with Pulsed Fluoroscopy: A Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Clinical Trial.Pain physician · 2018Trial
- Effectiveness of Epidural Methylprednisolone Injection in Management of Lumbar Prolapsed Intervertebral Disc: A Comparison of Caudal, Transforaminal and Interlaminar Routes.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2025Article
- Volumetric measurement of herniated disc material as a predictor of outcome in periradicular therapy.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Article
- 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
- Increased Risk of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures Following Epidural Steroid Injections in Patients with Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- A Comparison of Analgesic Efficacy of Triamcinolone vs Magnesium Sulfate as Adjuvants in Caudal Block in Patients with Low Back Pain: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2024Article
- Acute back pain - Role of injection techniques and surgery: WFNS spine committee recommendations.World neurosurgery: X · 2024Review
- Effectiveness of caudal block in patients with spinal stenosis accompanied by redundant nerve root syndrome.The Journal of international medical research · 2023Article
- 309 patients treated with fluoroscopy-guided caudal epidural injection for lumbar disc herniation.The Journal of international medical research · 2022Article
- An update of current therapeutic approach for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: A review article.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2022Review
- The Role of Power Doppler Ultrasonography in Caudal Epidural Injection.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Article
- Establishment of ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block in rats.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is one of the most commonly used treatments for radiculopathy. Previous studies have described the effectiveness of ESI in the management of radiculopathy. However, controversy exists regarding the route that is most beneficial and effective with respect to the administration of epidural steroids, as both transforaminal (TF) and caudal (C) routes are commonly used.This analysis reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of TF-ESIs with that of C-ESIs in the treatment of radiculopathy as a means of providing pain relief and improving functionality. This meta-analysis was performed to guide clinical decision-making.The study was a systematic review of comparative studies.A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases for trials written in English. The randomized trials and observational studies that met our inclusion criteria were subsequently included. Two reviewers, respectively, extracted data and estimated the risk of bias. All statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3.Six prospective and 2 retrospective studies involving 664 patients were included. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing only the 6 prospective studies. Although slight pain and functional improvements were noted in the TF-ESI groups compared with the C-ESI groups, these improvements were neither clinically nor statistically significant.The limitations of this meta-analysis resulted primarily from the weaknesses of the comparative studies and the relative paucity of patients included in each study.Both the TF and C approaches are effective in reducing pain and improving functional scores, and they demonstrated similar efficacies in the management of lumbosacral radicular pain.
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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.