Multifidus Muscle Twitch on the Prognosis of Lumbar Medial Branch RF

June 21, 2016 updated by: Dr. Koh, Jae Chul, MD, Severance Hospital

Effect of the Multifidus Muscle Twitch on the Long Term Effect of Radiofrequency Lumbar Medial Branch Neurotomy

The investigators collected data and chart from the patients who were diagnosed facet joint syndrome and underwent lumbar RF medial branch neurotomy between January 2009 and June 2014.

RF was performed using sensory stimulation and multifidus twitching to confirm the position of RF needle. The patients wil be grouped according to the adequacy of RF needle position while performing RF medial branch neurotomy ('complete' when all needles were placed adequately, 'partial' when one of the needles for a facet joint medial branch was placed inadequately, 'none' when there were both needles positioned inadequately for a facet joint) The relationship between the long term effect of RF neurotomy (longer than 6 months) and the groups will be analyzed.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

Facet joint syndrome has been described as a common cause of lumbar back pain. To achieve prolonged therapeutic effect in patients with lumbar facet joint syndrome, radiofrequency (RF) medial branch neurotomy is commonly performed. When performing RF neurotomy, needle placement in correct position is very important. For this reason, identification of sensory stimulation and multifidus muscle twitching by using the electrode have been commonly performed. However, there were no previous reports regarding relationship between prognosis of RF neurotomy and multifidus muscle twitching in combination of sensory stimulation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of multifidus twitching when sensory stimulation was achieved while performing RF needle neurotomy in patients with lumbar facet syndrome.

The investigators have collected data and chart from the patients who were diagnosed facet joint syndrome and underwent lumbar RF medial branch neurotomy between January 2009 and June 2014.

RF was performed using sensory stimulation and multifidus twitching to confirm the position of RF needle. When numeric pain intensity score decreased less than half of the initial pain score, the procedure was regarded as effective and the duration was followed and recorded for each patients.

When multifidus twitching was observed in a voltage less than 1.0 to 2.0 times of the sensory stimulation (≤ 0.5V), the positioning of the RF needle will be regarded as adequate. The most appropriate cutoff value will be determined by univariate analysis. The patients will be grouped according to the adequacy of RF needle position while performing RF medial branch neurotomy ('complete' when all needles were placed adequately, 'partial' when one of the needles for a facet joint medial branch was placed inadequately, 'none' when there were both needles positioned inadequately for a facet joint) The relationship between the long term effect of RF neurotomy (longer than 6 months) and the groups will be analyzed.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

68

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Gangnam-gu
      • Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Korea, Republic of, 135-720
        • Gangnam Severance Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The patients who had lumbar back pain in Gangnam Severance hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All the patients who were diagnosed facet joint syndrome and underwent lumbar RF medial branch neurotomy between January 2009 and June 2014.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • absence of 12-month follow-up data, the patients who underwent RF medial branch neurotomy on bilateral side or the patients who underwent surgery or other interventional procedures that might affect pain derived from lumbar facet joint during the follow-up period

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Group none

According to the adequacy of RF needle position while performing radiofrequency neurotomy of lumbar medial branch.

When both needles were positioned inadequately for a facet joint.

In above L5, The RF needle was placed to contact with bone as close as possible to the course of the target nerve in parallel. For L5 dorsal rami ablation, the needle was positioned in the groove between the S1 articular process and sacral ala. At each level, the electrodes were adjusted to optimize sensory stimulation at a frequency of 50 Hz and maximize multifidus contraction at 2 Hz. A 75 second 80°C lesion was made using an RF generator.
Other Names:
  • Lumbar RF neurotomy
Group partial

According to the adequacy of RF needle position while performing radiofrequency neurotomy of lumbar medial branch.

when one of the needles for a facet joint medial branch was placed inadequately.

In above L5, The RF needle was placed to contact with bone as close as possible to the course of the target nerve in parallel. For L5 dorsal rami ablation, the needle was positioned in the groove between the S1 articular process and sacral ala. At each level, the electrodes were adjusted to optimize sensory stimulation at a frequency of 50 Hz and maximize multifidus contraction at 2 Hz. A 75 second 80°C lesion was made using an RF generator.
Other Names:
  • Lumbar RF neurotomy
Group complete

According to the adequacy of RF needle position while performing radiofrequency neurotomy of lumbar medial branch.

When all needles were placed adequately.'

In above L5, The RF needle was placed to contact with bone as close as possible to the course of the target nerve in parallel. For L5 dorsal rami ablation, the needle was positioned in the groove between the S1 articular process and sacral ala. At each level, the electrodes were adjusted to optimize sensory stimulation at a frequency of 50 Hz and maximize multifidus contraction at 2 Hz. A 75 second 80°C lesion was made using an RF generator.
Other Names:
  • Lumbar RF neurotomy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Long term effective duration
Time Frame: 1 years
Duration of pain score less than half of initial pain score
1 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Yoon-Woo Lee, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 18, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 19, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

October 20, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 23, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 21, 2016

Last Verified

June 1, 2016

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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