ArticleInterventional pain medicine2025
The effectiveness of lumbar medial branch radiofrequency ablation using a three-tined electrode: A real-world cross-sectional cohort study.
Article in Interventional pain medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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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13 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Lumbar medial branch radiofrequency ablation (LMBRFA) is an established treatment for chronic lumbar zygapophysial (facet) joint pain. Three-tined radiofrequency technology may simplify the procedure compared to conventional techniques, but long-term outcomes require further investigation. Objectives: To assess long-term outcomes of three-tined LMBRFA utilizing a perpendicular approach. Methods: This study reviewed electronic medical records of patients who underwent three-tined LMBRFA from 2022 to 2024. Clinical outcomes were assessed at ≥6 months post-procedure via standardized telephone survey, including numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores, patient global impression of change (PGIC), and opioid utilization. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients achieving ≥50 % NRS pain reduction. Secondary outcomes included PGIC scores ≥6 ("much improved" or better) and changes in opioid use. Poisson regression evaluated select predictors of treatment response. Results: Outcomes were collected from 71 patients at a mean follow-up of 12.5 ± 2.4 months. The primary outcome was achieved by 43.7 % (95 %CI: 32.8-55.2) of patients at mean follow-up, with higher success rates at 6-12 months (51.7 %) compared to 12-18 months (38.1 %; Conclusion: In this cohort, approximately half of patients selected for three-tined perpendicular LMBRFA by guideline-concordant diagnostic blocks went on to experience ≥50 % pain relief for up to 12 months. Opioid analgesic use was significantly reduced compared to baseline.
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