Efficacy and safety of intradiscal bipolar radiofrequency annuloplasty in patients diagnosed with lumbar discogenic pain

Abstract

Background & objectives: Lumbar discogenic pain is a common cause of low back pain and remains difficult to treat.
This study aims to evaluate the clinical outcome in terms of changes in pain intensity, functional improvement, and
the safety profile of intradiscal bipolar radiofrequency (RF) annuloplasty in the treatment of lumbar discogenic pain.
Methodology: Between January 2019 and December 2021, medical records of all patients with lumbar discogenic
pain who underwent intradiscal bipolar RF annuloplasty were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Outcomes on
pain reduction were measured using a numerical rating scale (NRS), and functional status was measured using the
Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at baseline and at 1, 6, and 12 months. Differences in the NRS and ODI during
subsequent follow-up visits with baseline measurements were calculated with repeated-measure analysis of
variance (ANOVA).
Results: A total of 103 patients were included in the analysis. The average patient’s age was 42.51 ± 10.81 years, and
there were 71.8% females. The proportion of patients who reported ≥50% reduction in the NRS was 82.5%, 86.4%,
and 75.7% at 1, 6, and 12-month follow-up periods, respectively. The NRS was reduced from 7.39 ± 0.94 at baseline
to 3.46 ± 1.30 at 12 months after treatment (P < 0.001). The ODI improved from 56.91 ± 8.61 to 32.04 ± 9.28 at 12
months after treatment (P < 0.001). No procedure-related complications were reported.
Conclusion: The high ratio of patients who showed considerable pain relief with the treatment of lumbar discogenic
pain with intradiscal bipolar RF annuloplasty proves that this interventional procedure is effective and safe. This
procedure can be another treatment option for patients who fail conservative medical treatment.
Abbreviations: IDET: intradiscal electrothermal therapy, RF: radiofrequency, NRS: Numeric Rating Scale, HIZ: highintensity zone, ODI: Oswestry Disability Index, SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences, ANOVA: analysis of
variance, BMI: body mass index
Keywords: Annulus fibrosus; Intervertebral disc degeneration; Low back pain; Radiofrequency ablation; Safety;
Treatment outcome
Citation: Chen CK, Jalil NA, Phui VE. Efficacy and safety of intradiscal bipolar radiofrequency annuloplasty in patients
diagnosed with lumbar discogenic pain. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2025;29(8):841-849.
DOI: 10.35975/apic.v29i6.3005
Received: May 09, 2024; Revised: October 26, 2024; Accepted: January 01, 2025