Javier de Andrés Ares, Sam Eldabe, Nicky Helsen, Ganesan Baranidharan, Jean-Luc Barat, Arun Bhaskar, Fabrizio Cassini, Sebastian Gillner, Jan Willem Kallewaard, Stephan Klessinger, Philippe Mavrocordatos, Felice Occhigrossi, Jan Van Zundert, Frank Huygen, Herman Stoevelaar
BACKGROUND: Despite the routine use of radiofrequency (RF) for the treatment of chronic pain in the lumbosacral and cervical region, there remains uncertainty on the most appropriate patient selection criteria. This study aimed to develop appropriateness criteria for RF in relation to relevant patient characteristics, considering RF ablation (RFA) for the treatment of chronic axial pain and pulsed RF (PRF) for the treatment of chronic radicular pain. METHODS: The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RUAM) was used to explore the opinions of a multidisciplinary European panel on the appropriateness of RFA and PRF for a variety of clinical scenarios...
April 10, 2024: Pain Practice: the Official Journal of World Institute of Pain