| Abstract/Notes |
Excerpt: February 16, 2007 (San Diego) — The efficacy of lumbar epidural steroid injection (LESI) in treating stenosis varies with the severity of the disease, calling into question the cost-effectiveness of using LESI in severe and multiple-level moderate stenosis. Frederick Parke Oldenburg, MD, from the Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western University School of Medicine and University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, presented these findings here at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Oldenburg said that a relationship between the severity of stenosis and the efficacy of LESI had not previously been established. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of LESI with respect to avoiding surgery was unknown. Of 299 patients in this retrospective study, most had mild stenosis and no need for surgery. Dr. Oldenburg told Medscape that the study also included patients who were not good operative candidates. "I think that [using LESI to treat] patients with mild stenosis who are poor operative candidates is a good option. Unfortunately, the chances of LESI being beneficial for patients with severe stenosis are far less." This excerpt is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; click on the above link for full text.
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