ArticleAnnals of translational medicine2021
MR-guided lumbar facet radiofrequency denervation for treatment of patients with chronic low back pain in an open 1.0 Tesla MRI system.
Article in Annals of translational medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation and endoscopic neurotomy for lumbar facet joint syndrome: are they good enough?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 · 2024Pooled it
- Subacute and Chronic Low-Back Pain: From MRI Phenotype to Imaging-Guided Interventions.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Evidence of Multifidus Changes Post-Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation: A Narrative Literature Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Image-Guided Minimally Invasive Treatment Options for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: A Practical Overview of Current Possibilities.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Osteoid osteoma: treatment outcome and long-term follow-up after MRI-guided laser ablation.Annals of translational medicine · 2022Article
- MR-guided spine interventions: time to get off the ground?Annals of translational medicine · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided lumbar facet joint radiofrequency denervation (FRD) in patients with chronic low back pain.
methodsThe study consisted of two parts. First, a preclinical analysis using an ex vivo animal model was performed to define optimal technical parameters for ablation. Then, 17 patients with chronic lumbar facet joint pain syndrome were prospectively included and underwent MRI-guided FRD in an open 1.0-Tesla MRI. We analyzed technical feasibility and complications as well as clinical outcome in terms of subjective pain assessed on a numerical visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after 1 week/6 months after FRD. Clinical assessment was complemented by measurement of paravertebral muscle volume and fat content before the intervention and at 6-month follow-up.
resultsAll interventions were technically successful without major complications. Initial VAS scores (median: 8, IQR: 1, range: 6-9, CI: 7.14-8.04) decreased significantly both after one week (median: 4, IQR: 5, range: 0-7, CI: 1.9-4.69, P=0.003) and after 6 months (median: 1, IQR: 6, range: 0-7, CI: 1.06-4.23, P<0.001). Mean multifidus muscle volume increased significantly in the patient population (from 366.8±130.8 cm
conclusionsThis proof of principle study shows MRI-guided FRD in an open 1.0-Tesla MRI system to be a potential therapy option for patients with chronic low back pain.
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