Investigation of the effect of cooled radi̇ofrequency ablati̇on and medial branch block on pain in elderly individuals with lumbar facet syndrome

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of cooled radiofrequency ablation (CRF) on pain scores in patients with facet joint and sacroiliac joint pain who have not undergone lumbar surgery. In our clinic, CRF was performed under operating-room conditions in 36 patients diagnosed with L5-S1 and sacroiliac joint-related pain over a 6-month period. Subsequently, the preoperative and postoperative VAS (Visual Analog Scale) and ODI (Oswestry Disability Index) scores of these patients were evaluated during a 12-month follow-up period. Among the 36 individuals included in the study, 17 were male and 19 were female. A statistically significant reduction in VAS scores was detected when preoperative values were compared with postoperative measurements (p<0.05). Similarly, ODI scores demonstrated a significant improvement after the intervention (p<0.05). In contrast, sex did not exert a significant influence on either VAS or ODI outcomes (p>0.05). Cooled radiofrequency ablation is effective in achieving pain control in patients with facet joint and sacroiliac joint-related pain. However, the procedure did not demonstrate any differential effect across sexes.