Post-lesion Administration of Dexamethasone to Prevent the Development of Neuritis After Radiofrequency Ablation
Overview
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Intervention
- Dexamethasone 4 mg/ml
- Conditions
- Neuritis
- Sponsor
- Johns Hopkins University
- Enrollment
- 63
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Number of Lesions With Post-Ablation Neuritis
- Status
- Terminated
- Last Updated
- 2 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
Chronic neck and back pain has become one of the leading causes of disability and loss of productivity. For many patients with facet or sacroiliac joint mediated pain who have responded to diagnostic nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation of the nerves innervating the joints can provide long term relief. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a relatively safe procedure with minimal risk of adverse events. However, with any procedure involving damage to the peripheral nervous system, there is risk of post-procedure neuropathic pain. The investigators will test the hypothesis that dexamethasone injection delivered at the time of lesion effectively prevents the development of post-ablation neuritis through a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial in patients undergoing cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacroiliac joint radiofrequency denervations
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •patients with a diagnosis of either cervical, thoracic, or lumbar facet or sacroiliac joint pain who have responded to medial branch blocks and are already scheduled for bilateral radiofrequency ablations
- •age greater than 18 years old
- •English speaking
Exclusion Criteria
- •patient not previously scheduled for radiofrequency ablation of the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar facets, or sacroiliac joints
- •on anticoagulation
- •have a pacemaker
- •age less than 18 years old
- •non-English speaking
Arms & Interventions
Dexamethasone
Lesions where dexamethasone 4 milligram is administered post-radiofrequency ablation
Intervention: Dexamethasone 4 mg/ml
Placebo
Lesions where 1 milliliter of normal saline is administered post-radiofrequency ablation
Intervention: Normal saline
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Number of Lesions With Post-Ablation Neuritis
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Each patient had 2 lesions. One Lesion was treated with dexamethasone. The other lesion was treated with placebo. We then looked at the number of lesions that developed post-ablation neuritis.