Determinants of Clinical Outcome After Caudal Epidural Adhesiolysis for Chronic Lumbar Radicular Pain

March 17, 2026 updated by: Mesut Bakır, Mersin University

Determinants of Clinical Success After Caudal Epidural Adhesiolysis in Chronic Lumbar Radicular Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Chronic lumbar radicular pain is a frequently encountered condition that can cause marked pain, limited physical function, and a substantial decline in quality of life. For patients whose symptoms do not respond adequately to conservative treatment, caudal epidural adhesiolysis is considered a minimally invasive treatment option, particularly when epidural fibrosis or adhesions are thought to contribute to persistent pain.

Even so, treatment response after caudal epidural adhesiolysis is not the same for every patient. Some individuals experience meaningful clinical improvement, whereas others obtain limited benefit. Understanding which factors are associated with a favorable outcome may help clinicians make better treatment decisions and identify patients who are more likely to benefit from the procedure.

In this single-center retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the medical records of patients with chronic lumbar radicular pain who underwent caudal epidural adhesiolysis. The purpose of the study is to evaluate clinical success after the procedure and to explore demographic, clinical, and procedure-related factors that may influence treatment outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

This single-center retrospective cohort study will evaluate the medical records of 40 eligible patients who underwent caudal epidural adhesiolysis at the Mersin University Algology Clinic between March 1, 2023, and January 1, 2026, for chronic lumbar radicular pain or pain related to epidural adhesions. Eligibility will be determined according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. In patients who underwent more than one procedure during the study period, only the first (index) caudal epidural adhesiolysis will be included in the analysis.

The primary focus of the study is to assess clinical success following caudal epidural adhesiolysis and to examine changes in pain and clinical improvement measures during follow-up. Pain intensity will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10), and functional status will be evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before the procedure and at follow-up visits. Analyses of clinical success and treatment-related change will be based on these outcome measures.

Potential factors associated with treatment outcome will also be examined. These variables will include demographic and clinical characteristics, such as age, sex, symptom duration, diagnosis, history of previous lumbar surgery, baseline pain severity, and prior or concurrent treatments, as well as selected procedure-related variables, including the level to which the catheter was advanced, medications administered during the procedure, and procedure-related complications.

All study data will be collected from the electronic medical record system and patient files. The study is designed to identify factors that may be associated with favorable clinical outcomes after caudal epidural adhesiolysis in patients with chronic lumbar radicular pain and to contribute to improved patient selection in interventional pain practice.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

40

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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Ciftlikkoy
      • Mersin, Ciftlikkoy, Turkey (Türkiye), 33110
        • Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pain Medicine

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adult patients with chronic lumbar radicular pain or pain related to epidural adhesions who underwent caudal epidural adhesiolysis at the Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Algology Clinic between March 1, 2023, and January 1, 2026. Only patients who met the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and had available pre-procedural, procedural, and post-procedural follow-up data, including Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, were included in the analysis.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Underwent caudal epidural adhesiolysis at the Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Algology Clinic between March 1, 2023, and January 1, 2026
  • Evaluated with a diagnosis of chronic lumbar radicular pain or pain related to epidural adhesions
  • Availability of pre-procedural clinical data in the medical records
  • Availability of procedural technical records in the medical file, including at minimum the procedure date, the level to which the catheter was advanced, and the medications administered and/or procedural details
  • Availability of post-procedural follow-up data including Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients younger than 18 years
  • Patients who underwent caudal epidural adhesiolysis outside the period from March 1, 2023, to January 1, 2026, at the Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Algology Clinic
  • Patients without a diagnosis of chronic lumbar radicular pain or pain related to epidural adhesions
  • Missing essential pre-procedural clinical data in the medical records
  • Insufficient procedural technical documentation in the medical file
  • Absence of post-procedural clinical follow-up data
  • Missing Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores in the follow-up records

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
Patients Undergoing Caudal Epidural Adhesiolysis
This cohort consists of eligible patients with chronic lumbar radicular pain or pain related to epidural adhesions who underwent caudal epidural adhesiolysis during the study period. Only the first procedure was included for patients with repeated interventions. Clinical outcomes were assessed using pain and functional status measures recorded before the procedure and during follow-up.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical success based on change in pain intensity measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after the procedure
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (0-10) before caudal epidural adhesiolysis and during follow-up.
Baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after the procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Mersin University

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.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

January 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 17, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MERSINALG-ADHESIOLYSIS -2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be made available because the study is based on retrospectively collected medical record data from a single center, and sharing such data may raise confidentiality and privacy concerns.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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