SynthesisBMJ open2020
Radiofrequency denervation for chronic back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Current evidence on radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of Epidural Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment in Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome: A Prospective Clinical Study.Pain research & management · 2025Trial
- Article
- Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of Sham-Controlled Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Targeting the intrinsic bone nerve supply for joint denervation in osteoarthritis: A Copernican revolution, or just another fad relegated to the graveyard of scientific history?Interventional pain medicine · 2025Article
- The impact of emotional distress on response to radiofrequency ablation.Pain reports · 2025Article
- Radiofrequency techniques for chronic pain.BJA education · 2022Review
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 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo assess the effectiveness of radiofrequency denervation (RD) of lumbosacral anatomical targets for the management of chronic back pain.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
methodsA database search (Medline, Medline in Process, Embase, CINHAL and the Cochrane library) was conducted from January 2014 to April 2019 for placebo or no-treatment controlled trials of RD for the management of chronic back pain. Included trials were quality assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool and the quality of outcomes assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Meta-analysis was conducted to calculate mean difference (MD) in post-treatment Pain Score.
resultsNineteen RCTs were included in the review. There appears to be short-term pain relief (1-3 months) provided by RD of the sacroiliac joint (five trials, MD -1.53, CI -2.62 to 0.45) and intervertebral discs (four trials, MD -0.98, CI -1.84 to 0.12), but the placebo effect is large and additional intervention effect size is small (<1 on an 11 point (0-10) Pain Scale). Longer-term effectiveness (>6 months) is uncertain.
conclusionsRD of selected lumbosacral targets appears to have a small, short-term, positive effect for the management of patients with chronic back pain. However, the quality of evidence for the majority of outcomes is low or very low quality and there is still a degree of uncertainty, particularly around the duration of effect.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.