Clinical results of the treatment for sacroiliac joint pain by radiofrequency neurotomy

Sacroiliac joint pain is one of several causes of lower limb and lower back pain not originating from the spine, spinal cord, or nerve roots. The authors examined outcomes of treating sacroiliac joint pain using radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN), as described in several previous studies by Murakami et al. between 2007 and 2018. The RFN treatment in the present study was performed on 67 patients (31 male, 36 female; median age 61.8 years) who experienced re-flares of pain despite ≥2 injections of local anesthetics into the sacroiliac joint. RFN treatment was considered to be effective when pain was reduced by ≤50% after treatment. Additional RFN treatment(s) was administered to patients who experienced pain re-flares. Of the 67 patients, 57 (85.1%) achieved sustained pain relief, 30 (44.8%) of whom experienced immediate pain relief after the first treatment and no longer required therapy. The other 27 patients who experienced subsequent re-flares underwent additional RFN treatment(s) and successfully achieved sustainable pain relief sufficient to end therapy. RFN resulted in no complications and was safe and minimally invasive, and should be considered a conservative treatment option in advance of sacroiliac joint fusion surgery.