• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.176-180
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• 2005

Background: Epidural steroid injections benefit certain patients with radicular pain, and often have only a limited duration. We compared the efficacy of hyaluronidase and triamcinolone and triamcinolone alone in patients with lumbar herniated disc disease treated with transforaminal epidural block. Methods: Forty patients who had undergone a transforaminal epidural injection were retrospectively reviewed. The T group received triamcinolone and local anesthetics; whereas, the HT group received hyaluronidase, triamcinolone and local anesthetics. We evaluated the improvement as being good, moderate, mild or no improvement, and in those where the improvement was good or moderate, also evaluated the duration of pain relief. Data were collected from the medical records of patients or via phone calls, which were analyzed using Student t- and chi-squared tests. A value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There were no significant differences in the degree of pain improvement or duration of pain relief between the two groups. Conclusions: A hyaluronidase and triamcinolone injection during transforaminal epidural block has on benefit with respect to the degree of pain improvement or its duration compared to a triamcinolone only injection.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.265-269
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• 2013

Background: Transforaminal epidural steroid injections are known to reduce inflammation by inhibiting synthesis of various proinflammatory mediators and have been used increasingly. The anti-inflammatory properties of opioids are not as fully understood but apparently involve antagonism sensory neuron excitability and pro-inflammatory neuropeptide release. To date, no studies have addressed the efficacy of transforaminal epidural morphine in patients with radicular pain, and none have directly compared morphine with a tramadol for this indication. The aim of this study was to compare morphine and tramadol analgesia when administered via epidural injection to patients with lumbar radicular pain. Methods: A total of 59 patients were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups and followed for 3 months after procedure. Each patient was subjected to C-arm guided transforaminal epidural injection (TFEI) of an affected nerve root. As assigned, patients received either morphine sulfate (2.5 mg/2.5 ml) or tramadol (25 mg/0.5 ml) in combination with 0.2% ropivacaine (1 ml). Using numeric rating scale was subsequently rates at 2 weeks and 3 months following injection for comparison with baseline. Results: Both groups had significantly lower mean pain scores at 2 weeks and at 3 months after treatment, but outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: TFEI of an opioid plus local anesthetic proved effective in treating radicular pain. Although morphine surpassed tramadol in pain relief scores, the difference was not statistically significant.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.256-259
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• 1996

Epidural adhesiolysis is a convenient and safe method for the management of back pain. However, we experienced a case where a patient developed sensory change to S2 area after epidural adhesiolysis. Male patient, 43 years old, was admitted to our pain clinic for epidural adhesiolysis for back pain. Patient was experiencing pain radiating to left thigh, and sensory change and motor disturbance to the S1 area. Patient's symptoms and signs were much improved on the first day of epidural adhesiolysis. Patient, however, complained of numbness of perineal and S2 areas after the next day of injections. We postulated the cause of this complication was due to: compression of nerve root by the large volume of injectate and hematoma, and the side effect of local anesthetic, hypertonic saline and steroid.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.392-395
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• 2011

Idiopathic hypertrophic spinal pachymeningitis (IHSP) is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by hypertrophic inflammation of the dura mater and various clinical courses that are from myelopathy. Although many associated diseases have been suggested, the etiology of IHSP is not well understood. The ideal treatment is controversial. In the first case, a 55-year-old woman presented back pain, progressive paraparesis, both leg numbness, and voiding difficulty. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an anterior epidural mass lesion involving from C6 to mid-thoracic spine area with low signal intensity on T1 and T2 weighted images. We performed decompressive laminectomy and lesional biopsy. After operation, she was subsequently treated with steroid and could walk unaided. In the second case, a 45-year-old woman presented with fever and quadriplegia after a spine fusion operation due to lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative herniated lumbar disc. Initial MRI showed anterior and posterior epidural mass lesion from foramen magnum to C4 level. She underwent decompressive laminectomy and durotomy followed by steroid therapy. However, her conditions deteriorated gradually and medical complications occurred. In our cases, etiology was not found despite through investigations. Initial MRI showed dural thickening with mixed signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images. Pathologic examination revealed chronic nonspecific inflammation in both patients. Although one patient developed several complications, the other showed slow improvement of neurological symptoms with decompressive surgery and steroid therapy. In case of chronic compressive myelopathy due to the dural hypertrophic change, decompressive surgery such as laminectomy or laminoplasty may be helpful as well as postoperative steroid therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.392-395
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• 2013

Epiduroscopy is very useful in the treatment of not only low back pain caused by failed back surgery syndrome, epidural scar or herniated disc but also by chronic refractory low back pain which does not respond to interventional conservative treatment including fluoroscopically-directed epidural steroid injections and percutaneous adhesiolysis. Because cauterization using a laser fiber has become recently available, a wider opening is required to enter into the sacral canal in the case of epiduroscopic laser neural decompression (ELND). However, in a few patients, it is difficult to insert a device into the epidural space due to stenosis around the opening, and there is no alternative method. Herein, we report a case where a hiatus rasp specially designed for such patients was used to perform the operation.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.151-154
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• 2013

Multiple myeloma, a multicentric hematological malignancy, is the most common primary tumor of the spine. As epidural myeloma causing spinal cord compression is a rare condition, its therapeutic approach and clinical results have been reported to be diverse, and no clear guidelines for therapeutic decision have been established. Three patients presented with progressive paraplegia and sensory disturbance. Image and serological studies revealed multiple myeloma and spinal cord compression caused by epidural myeloma. Emergency radiotherapy and steroid therapy were performed in all three cases. However, their clinical courses and results were distinctly different. Following review of our cases and the related literature, we suggest a systematic therapeutic approach for these patients to achieve better clinical results.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.83-87
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• 2009

Case reports after accidental subdural injection during attempted epidural block have usually described extensive neuraxial blocks with a characteristic radiographic appearance on contrast injection. We experienced a case of cervical subdural injection with unusual clinical findings and radiographic appearance. A 51-year-old female patient with central herniated nucleus pulposus at cervical (C5/6) and lumbar level (L4/5, L5/S1) was referred to the pain clinic. During attempted cervical epidural block at the C6/7 interspace with fluoroscopy, injection of the 4 ml contrast showed posterior spread at cervical level. After cervical epidural steroid injection, the contrast was also confined to the posterior aspect of the spinal canal at lumbar level with fluoroscopy. In order to discriminate subdural space from epidural space, we performed transforaminal epidural injection of the 2 ml contrast at the L5/S1 interspace and we could confirm cervical epidural injection was made into the subdural space. We discuss the clinical characteristics of a subdural injection and the appearance of the cervical and lumbar subdurogram.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.305-306
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• 2018

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.64-65
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• 2015

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 1997

Background : We studied the effects of lumbar spinal root block (RB) prospectively in 21 patients who had suffered from low back pain with radiating pain even treated epidural steroid injection three times. Method : RB was performed under the fluoroscopic C-arm guide. When the needle was in correct position, we confirmed the needle placement and expected drug spreading by injection of contrast medium ($Isovist^{(R)}$-300, Sobering, Germany). Next 2% mepivacaine 1 ml mixed to 40 mg of Depomedrol was injected. Pain assessment was carried out 7 days after RB by numeric pain score regarding the pain just before RB was 10. Remained pain after RB was graded as excellent; 0-2, good; 3-5, bad; 6-8 and poor 9-10. Results : Mean age of the patients was 52.3 years. 38.1% and 47.6% of the patients showed excellent and goo dresults after RB, respectively. Conclusion : We concluded that RB is easy and safe procedure to perfirm and effective for the treatment of remnant pain following epidural steroid injection, especially in the patients who had spinal stenosis.