Observational studyBMJ open2016
Retrospective cohort study of usage patterns of epidural injections for spinal pain in the US fee-for-service Medicare population from 2000 to 2014.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 2 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
36 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of Transforaminal epidural steroid injections for patients with ACUTE sciatica: a randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Trial
- A comparison between transforaminal lumbar epidural injection performed under picture archiving and communication systems-based magnetic resonance imaging planning and injection under immediate X-ray guidance.Joint diseases and related surgery · 2024Trial
- Differential rates of intravascular uptake and pain perception during lumbosacral epidural injection among adults using a 22-gauge needle versus 25-gauge needle: a randomized clinical trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2020Trial
- Reducing Radiation Exposure in Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections with Pulsed Fluoroscopy: A Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Clinical Trial.Pain physician · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Treatment of acute sciatica with transforaminal epidural corticosteroids and local anesthetic: design of a randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Trial
- Cost Utility Analysis of Cervical Therapeutic Medial Branch Blocks in Managing Chronic Neck Pain.International journal of medical sciences · 2017Trial
- The effect of hybrid ultrasound/fluoroscopy guidance vs only fluoroscopy guidance on procedure time and radiation exposure in caudal epidural steroid injections.Interventional pain medicine · 2025Article
- Epidural steroid injections and fracture incidence among older individuals with radiculopathy.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2025Article
- Perineural hematoma following lumbar injection presenting as a neurosurgical emergency.Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2025Article
- Safety outcomes and improvement in pain scores after radiologist-performed fluoroscopy-guided interlaminar cervical epidural steroid injection.Skeletal radiology · 2024Article
- Iatrogenic cervical spinal cord injury after interlaminar cervical epidural injection.Interventional pain medicine · 2023Article
- An update on epidural steroid injections: is there still a role for particulate corticosteroids?Skeletal radiology · 2023Review
- Comparative Effectiveness of Epidural Steroid İnjections in Patients With Disc Bulging and Disc Protrusion.Cureus · 2023Article
- Cumulative glucocorticoid exposure in patients receiving epidural steroid injections: A single-centre retrospective evaluation on 581 procedures against existing clinical recommendations.Interventional pain medicine · 2022Article
- Intradiscal injection for the management of low back pain.JOR spine · 2022Article
- The skeletal consequences of epidural steroid injections: a literature review.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2021Review
- The physician as a success determining factor in CT-guided pain therapy.BMC medical imaging · 2021Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the usage patterns of epidural injections for chronic spinal pain in the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare population from 2000 to 2014 in the USA.
designA retrospective cohort.
methodsThe descriptive analysis of the administrative database from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary (PSPS) master data from 2000 to 2014 was performed. The guidance from Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) was applied. Analysis included multiple variables based on the procedures, specialties and geography.
resultsOverall epidural injections increased 99% per 100 000 Medicare beneficiaries with an annual increase of 5% from 2000 to 2014. Lumbar interlaminar and caudal epidural injections constituted 36.2% of all epidural injections, with an overall decrease of 2% and an annual decrease of 0.2% per 100 000 Medicare beneficiaries. However, lumbosacral transforaminal epidural injections increased 609% with an annual increase of 15% from 2000 to 2014 per 100 000 Medicare population.
conclusionsUsage of epidural injections increased from 2000 to 2014, with a decline thereafter. However, an escalating growth has been seen for lumbosacral transforaminal epidural injections despite numerous reports of complications and regulations to curb the usage of transforaminal epidural injections.
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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.