Search

Aim: In the second part of the study concerning epidural corticosteroid applications, the authors collected data from 289 patients who were divided into three groups: "adults" (A; N = 103), "seniors" (S; N = 64) and "seniors with chronic pain" (SCP; N = 118). Data were evaluated using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of the root lumbar spine syndrome, most commonly due to the prolapse of the intervertebral disc, on the overall quality of life, physical and mental health of patients coming in for the epidural corticosteroid application. Patients and methods: The average age of the groups varies: 52.5 vs. 70.2 vs. 73 years. Otherwise, the groups are comparable to female representation and to pain rates of 4.7 on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). In addition, A and S groups are comparable in terms of the epidural corticosteroid application but they diff er in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) - A = 30.8% and S = 40.6%, which is approximately in the centre and at the upper limit of the medium disability zone. Results: In all groups, the quality of life assessment and satisfaction with their health have a reduced value compared to the population norm, with the lowest rating found in the SCP group. In contrast to the population norm, the physical health domain rating is lower in all three groups, the A and S groups have the same rating of 21.39 and 21.41, resp., and the SCP group has a signifi cantly lower rating for this domain of 10.66. The A group has values comparable to the population norm in domains of mental health, social relationships and environment. The S group has a score lower than the population norm in these domains, the SCP group has a lower score in the mental health and environment domains, and in the socialdomain, the rating is higher than the population norm. Conclusion: Most foreign studies with patients indicated for epidural corticosteroid application use the Short Form-36 questionnaire to assess the quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: As an alternative to surgical treatment of discogenic radicular pain following the failure of conventional conservative treatments, minimally invasive procedures are available, including epidural steroid injections (ESIs). Patients and methods: The aim of the study was to find out and examine profiles of patients coming in for ESISs. Three hundred-forty patients were divided into the "D" – group of adult patients (aged 18–64 years) and the "S" – group of seniors (aged ≥ 65). Results: Apart from the different average age, the results discovered in both groups were as comparable as when being divided into the groups according to the degree of their disabilities. In both groups, women predominated in the 1.4 : 1 and 2 : 1 ratios, resp. The average pain score was 4.9 and 55, resp. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was 40.3 and 40%, resp. Transforaminal ESI to caudal ESI ratio was 3 : 1 in both groups. More then 80 % of the patiens were in moderate and severe disability groups and ESI indications seem adequate. In both groups, the pain score increased according to the increasing degree of disability of the patiens. Compared to the literature data, patients in the cited studies were mostly younger and reported higher pain scores. Conclusion: Pain assessment and the ODI questionnaire should be included in any entry examination of patiens with vertebrogenic pain as they will help in choosing an adequate treatment course. The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. The Editorial Board declares that the manu-script met the ICMJE "uniform requirements" for biomedical papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]