Threshold Response of Lumbar Selective Nerve Root Block in Predicting Good Outcome Following Lumbar Foraminotomy
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-08-23
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
SNRB, as measured by the change in pain and objective functional ability, can solicit crucial
information regarding a patient's clinical picture and can predict a patient's outcome
post-surgery. By using the walk test as an objective functional assessment, the aim is to
better standardize the threshold for a positive response to SNRB.
In summary, SNRB, despite utilized frequently in the diagnostic work-up with patients with
lumbar radiculopathy, vary widely in their sensitivity and specificity. The reasons, as
outlined above, are multifactorial. The proposed study aims to minimize the known limitations
of these injections and prospectively define their positive and negative predictive value in
a homogenous group of patients undergoing surgery for lumbar foraminal stenosis and
radiculopathy. The design will define a threshold of response utilizing both subjective and
objective measures and more accurately predict excellent results following surgery.