Search

Timothy R Deer,1 Adam Rupp,2 Ryan Budwany,3 Christopher J Bovinet,4 John W Chatas,5 Stephen T Pyles,6 Nomen Azeem,7 Sean Li,8 Ramana Naidu,9 Ajay Antony,10 Jonathan M Hagedorn,11 Dawood Sayed12 1The Spine & Nerve Centers of the Virginias, Charleston, WV, USA; 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; 3West Virginia University, Charleston, WV, USA; 4The Spine Center of Southeast Georgia, Brunswick, GA, USA; 5Michigan Pain Specialists, Ypsilanti, MI, USA; 6Pain Treatment Centers, Ocala, FL, USA; 7Florida Spine & Pain Specialists, Riverview, FL, USA; 8Premier Pain Centers, Shrewsbury, NJ, USA; 9California Orthopedics & Spine, Larkspur, CA, USA; 10The Orthopaedic Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA; 11Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Division of Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; 12Department of Anesthesiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USACorrespondence: Timothy R DeerThe Spine & Nerve Centers of the Virginias, Charleston, WV, 25301, USATel +1 304-347-6120Email doctdeer@aol.comBackground: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is a common cause of low back pain, a problem experienced by two-thirds of adults in the United States population. Traditionally, the management of persistent SIJ-related pain has involved conservative therapies (physical therapy, topical medications, oral anti-inflammatory medications), interventional therapies (SIJ steroid injections or ablation), and surgery (SIJ fusion; open and lateral approach). Recent advancements in technology have paved the way for SIJ fusion via a posterior approach, which aims to minimize complications and enhance recovery.Objective: The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of the posterior approach to SIJ fusion as a feasible adjunct and salvage technique for patients with inadequate pain relief from other minimally invasive surgical procedures, and to validate its efficacy through a retrospective multicenter data analysis.Design: Multicenter retrospective observational study.Methods: Patients with refractory SIJ pain were treated by interventional pain physicians at one of the eight different pain management centers. All patients underwent posterior SIJ fusion via the LinQTM sacroiliac fusion procedure. Demographical data were collected, in addition to patient-reported pain relief.Results: A total of 111 patients were included in the study and underwent posterior SIJ fusion for refractory SIJ-related pain following the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS), interspinous spacer (ISS), intrathecal drug delivery (IDDS), and/or minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD). Overall, the mean patient reported pain relief following posterior SIJ fusion was 67.6%. In patients with a history of failed back surgery syndrome, the mean patient reported pain relief was 76.5%.Conclusion: In this retrospective case series of patients with continued intolerable pain following SCS, ISS, IDDS, or MILD, a novel posterior SIJ fusion device provided significant pain relief in a salvage manner. These early results suggest that this intervention may be a therapeutic option to consider in these patients.Keywords: sacroiliac joint pain, posterior SIJ fusion, salvage, spinal cord stimulation, lumbar decompression