Middle-term therapeutic effect of the sacroiliac joint blockade in patients with lumbosacral fusion-related sacroiliac pain.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect of sacroiliac (SI) blockade in patients with and without lumbosacral fusion. This study included 72 patients diagnosed with SI pain and who received blockade injection (methylprednisolone and lidocaine). Patients were divided into 2 groups; 22 patients in the fusion group who underwent previous lumbosacral fusion and 50 patients in the non-fusion group. Average follow-up was 17.7 (range: 6 to 30) months. All patients were evaluated before and after intervention using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index, Rivermead Mobility Index and SF-36. Results were statistically analyzed. Activity pain (a component of VAS) was significantly better in the non-fusion group than the fusion group (p=0.042). No other statistically significant differences were observed between groups (p>0.05). Sacroiliac blockade has a similar therapeutic effect on patients who underwent lumbosacral fusion surgery as on non-operated patients in the middle-term. Therefore, alternative treatment options are not necessary in patients with fusion.