Background: Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction is a common source of back pain. Recent evidence from different parts of the world suggest that cooled radiofrequency ablation of sacral nerves supplying the SI joints has superior pain alleviating properties than currently available treatment options for SI joint dysfunction.
Patients and methods: after obtaining institutional review board approval, the medical records of 81 patients who underwent cooled radiofrequency ablation in a single institution and by a single surgeon were analyzed retrospectively, recurrence of pain, progression to fusion and functional outcomes were noted. The patients operated on between June 2020 and December 2021 included 59 females, 22 males, 22 patients had previous lumbar fusions, and the average age was 55.4±17.3. They had at least 6 months follow up.
Results: 7 patients progressed to fusions, 6 patients had to have the procedure done again to relieve their pain. Student t-test was used to compare between preop and postop values of NPRS (numerical pain rating score) and ODI (Oswestry disability index). It showed significance with P-value <0.001 in both.
Conclusions: Sacroiliac joint radiofrequency ablation is a good option in the treatment of SI joint pain showing good results in the short term follow up period. It is a simple procedure that can be done under 30 minutes and is capable of providing significant pain relief for patients.