title: Selective nerve root block in patient selection for lumbar surgery: surgical results.
abstract: The cause of lumbar radicular symptoms often remains elusive after standard clinical and radiographic evaluation. Selective nerve root block is a useful test to indicate whether the pain is neural in origin and/or whether nerve root is pain producing in these patients with equivocal clinical and imaging studies. Over 8 years, the author performed selective nerve root blocks in 215 patients. Of this group, 78 patients underwent surgery. Following surgery, 71 patients were available for a minimum 12-month follow-up. The preoperative diagnoses included previously unoperated-upon lumbar disc herniation, previously unoperated-upon spinal canal stenosis, and prior lumbar surgery. The average follow-up was 34 months (range, 12-96 months). Overall, there were 38 good (53%), 16 fair (23%), and 17 poor (24%) surgical results. The results for those patients who had had prior surgery were disappointing (52% poor). These data reaffirm that surgical intervention should only be recommended for previously operated-upon patients with unequivocal findings.
authors.affiliation: Central Coast Spine Institute, San Luis Obispo, California 93401.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Herron
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D007866:Leg / Q000503:physiopathology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009407:Nerve Block; D010146:Pain; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots