The Effectiveness Of Cervical Medial Branch Radiofrequency Ablation For Chronic Facet Joint Syndrome In Patients Selected By A Practical Medial Branch Block Paradigm

Background. Cervical medial branch radiofrequency ablation (CMBRFA) is an effective treatment for facetogenic pain in patients selected by Spine Intervention Society (SIS) guidelines of 100% symptom improvement with dual medial branch blocks (MBBs) +/- placebo block. Patient selection for CMBRFA using >= 80% symptom improvement after dual concordant MBBs is common; however, this has not been studied. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of CMBRFA and compare outcomes in individuals selected by 80-99% vs 100% symptom improvement with dual concordant MBBs. Design. Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods. Medical records of 87 consecutive patients were reviewed; 50 met inclusion criteria. A standardized telephone survey was performed at six or more months post-CMBRFA to query numerical rating scale (NRS) pain and patient global impression of change (PGIC) scores. The primary outcomes were the proportion of patients reporting >= 50% reduction of index pain. Results. At a mean follow-up time of 16.9 +/- 12.7 months, 54% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 35-73%) and 54% (95% CI = 32-74%) of the 80-99% and 100% MBBs groups, respectively, reported >= 50% pain reduction. Between-group comparison showed a relative risk of 0.99 (95% CI = 0.59-1.66) for meeting the primary outcome. Seventy percent (95% CI = 56-81%) of patients reported a PGIC score consistent with "improved or very much improved" at follow-up. Conclusions. CMBRFA is an effective treatment in patients who report >= 80% symptom relief with dual concordant MBBs. The present study demonstrated an overall >= 50% pain reduction rate of 54% and no significant difference between those selected by 80-99% vs 100% symptom relief with dual concordant MBBs.