title: [Efficacy of transforaminal lumbar epidural steroid injections in patients with lumbar radiculopathy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study looks into the efficacy and safety of the transforaminal lumbar epidural steroid injection (TLESI) applied to patients with radiculopathy due to lumbar disk herniation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients' files which were applied TLESI, were retrospectively scanned. Patients who did not respond to one-month conservative treatment and who were detected to have bulging or protruding lumbar disk herniation as a result of imaging methods were included in the study. All applications were performed with C-arm fluoroscopy under local anesthesia by outpatient method. In all cases, a mix of 80 mg triamsinolone and 0.25% bupivacaine, was transforaminally injected to the anterior epidural area. Initial VAS pain scores were compared with the values of the 1, 3 and 6th months after the application. Patient satisfaction was determined through scoring. Furthermore, early and late term complications were collected for evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 222 patients were administered TLESI 460 times (average: 2.1, repeat interval: 1-6 times). The applications were carried out most frequently at the levels of L4-L5 and L5-S1. While the initial VAS score average was 8.2±0.7, after TLESI, it was 5.0±1.6, 4.8±1.5 and 5.1±1.5 in the 1, 3 and 6th months, respectively. 63.9% of the patients (n=142) defined the treatment as 'good and excellent'. No major complications were experienced and the overall minor complication rate was 11.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was seen that TLESI was an efficient and safe method in the short and medium term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Fatih
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Çetin
authors.forename: Haktan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karaman
authors.forename: Gönül
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ölmez Kavak
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tüfek
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Baysal Yildirim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007268:Injections, Epidural; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014221:Triamcinolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D014221:Triamcinolone; D002045:Bupivacaine