Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · May 2022
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of Local Anesthetics With or Without Steroids in High-Volume Transforaminal Epidural Blocks for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial.
Lumbar transforaminal epidural block (TFEB) is an effective treatment modality for radicular pain due to lumbar disc herniation (LDH). The addition of steroids is more effective than local anesthetic alone in TFEBs for patients with LDH. Moreover, the efficacy of TFEBs has been reported to be positively correlated with the volume of injectate. We hypothesized that high-volume TFEBs without steroids effectively alleviate axial back and radicular pain associated with LDH. This study compared the efficacy of high-volume TFEBs with vs. without steroids for the management of the axial and radicular pain caused by LDH. ⋯ High-volume TFEBs with and without steroid administration yielded similar significant pain reductions and functional improvements among LDH patients 4 weeks after the procedure.