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 236 patients who underwent cooled radiofrequency ablation in a single institution and by a single surgeon were analyzed retrospectively. The recurrence of pain, progression to fusion and functional outcomes were noted. The patients were operated on between June 2020 and June 2024, they include 145 females and 89 males, the average age was 55.6 ±16.8 Follow up was at least 3 months postop.
Results: 45 of the patients had previously underwent lumbar fusions. Follow up period ranged from 3 months to 4 years. After radiofrequency ablation, 67 patients progressed to fusions, and 19 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 <0.01 in both at 3, 6, 12 months postoperatively. RMQ (Roland Morris score) student t-test was significant with P value <0.01 at 3 months between preoperative and postoperative values; however, at 6 months and 12 months they were not significant.
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 in less than 30 minutes and can provide significant pain relief for patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction.