SynthesisMedicine2019
Radiofrequency neurotomy in chronic lumbar and sacroiliac joint pain: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Efficacy of radiofrequency in lumbar facet joint pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials.La Radiologia medica · 2024Pooled it
- Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Pain: Mechanistic Insights and Emerging Innovations.Cureus · 2025Review
- Assessment of real-world, prospective outcomes in patients treated with lumbar radiofrequency ablation for chronic pain (RAPID).Interventional pain medicine · 2025Article
- Lumbar Facet Joint Radiofrequency Ablation With a 3-Tined Cannula: A Technical Report and Observational Study.Pain research & management · 2024Observational
- CT-guided joint cavity release for postpartum sacroiliac joint pain management: an evaluation of its efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- The effectiveness and predictive factors of Sacroiliac Joint Radiofrequency Neurotomy success - A retrospective cohort study.Interventional pain medicine · 2023Article
- Ultrasound-guided lateral branch radiofrequency neurotomy for sacroiliac joint pain after lumbosacral spinal fusion surgery.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Ultrasound-guided radiofrequency Ablation for SI joint pain:An observational study.Interventional pain medicine · 2022Article
- Efficacy of Radiofrequency as Therapy and Diagnostic Support in the Management of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Facet Joint Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.Journal of pain research · 2022Review
- A New Strategy for Rapid Diagnosis of the Source of Low Back Pain in Patients Scheduled to Undergo Treatment with Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Article
- [Interdisciplinary position paper: the value of radiofrequency denervation in the treatment of chronic pain].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEffective treatment of low back pain (LBP) originating in the lumbar and sacroiliac joints is difficult to achieve. The objective of the current study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of radiofrequency (RF) neurotomy versus conservative nonsurgical approaches for the management of chronic lumbar and sacroiliac joint pain.
methodsThe PICOS framework was adhered to (P [population]: patients with a history of chronic function-limiting lumbar and sacroiliac joint pain lasting at least 6 months; I [intervention]: RF neurotomy; C [comparator]: other nonsurgical treatments; O [outcomes]: the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), measurement for pain, and a quality of life (QoL) questionnaire; S [study design]: meta-analysis). Two trained investigators systematically searched Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases for relevant studies published in English through March 2019.
resultsPatients treated with RF neurotomy (n = 528) had significantly greater improvement in ODI scores, pain scores and QoL measured by EQ-5D compared with controls (n = 457); however, significant heterogeneity was observed when data were pooled from eligible studies. In subgroup analyses, patients who received RF neurotomy had a significantly greater improvement in ODI scores compared with those with sham treatment. Patients treated with RF achieved significantly greater improvement in pain scores compared with controls who received sham treatment or medical treatment. In a subgroup analysis of pain in the sacroiliac joint and in lumbar facet joints, the RF neurotomy group achieved a significantly greater improvement in ODI score and pain scores compared with the control group. The ODI score and pain score were improved after 2 months of follow up in the analyses stratified by follow-up duration.
conclusionsUse of RF neurotomy as an intervention for chronic lumbar and sacroiliac joint pain led to improved function; however, larger, more directly comparable studies are needed to confirm this study's findings.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.