Basivertebral nerve ablation may relieve chronic low back pain, improve function
Patients with vertebrogenic chronic low back pain showed clinical improvements in function and pain relief at a mean of 6.4 years after basivertebral nerve ablation, according to results.
“I think we have proved the hypothesis that vertebrogenic back pain is real, and we also proved that we can treat it,” Jeffrey S. Fischgrund, MD, said in his presentation at the Lumbar Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. “We now have another treatment method for these chronic patients other than fusion.”
At a mean 6.4-year follow-up, Fischgrund and colleagues collected Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, VAS scores, post-ablation treatments and patient satisfaction among 100 of 117 patients with vertebrogenic chronic low back pain who underwent basivertebral nerve ablation. Researchers considered mean change in ODI from baseline as the primary outcome measure.
Fischgrund noted patients experienced a significant reduction in ODI scores. Almost half of the patients had a 75% to 100% reduction in pain, with no pain reported in one-third of patients at 6-year follow-up, according to Fischgrund.
“A couple of other variables we looked at: a significant drop in opioid use at 5 years and, probably equally important for health care economics, you can see a 93% reduction in injection use,” Fischgrund said. “So, these patients are getting better and no longer utilizing health care resources like they used to.”
Of the patients who needed secondary procedures, Fischgrund noted three patients underwent a facet ablation and eight patients underwent fusion.
“So, overall satisfaction, ... two-thirds [of patients] resumed their normal level of activity [and] 80% would like to have the [basivertebral nerve] BVN ablation again,” Fishgrund said. “Luckily, they do not need to though, because they are doing so well.”
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Fischgrund JS, et al. Paper 04. Presented at: Lumbar Spine Research Society Annual Meeting; Nov. 12-15, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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