The effects of epidural injection of local anesthetics and corticosteroids on patients with lumbosciatic pain.

Although epidural cortisone injections are commonly used for treatment of lumbosciatic pain, insufficient critical analysis of the end result can be found in the literature. The present study is a retrospective critical analysis of 367 patients with leg pain who were engaged for a minimum of two weeks or an average of two months in multifaceted conservative management without relief of pain. Injections of 10 cm3 of 0.5% bupivacaine and 100 mg of methylprednisolone were given to inpatients treated by the same anesthesiologist. The average follow-up period was 21.4 months (range, 6-36 months). Results were analyzed according to duration of pain and history of prior lumbar spine surgery. The most favorable results (approaching 70% offd-excellent) were observed in patients with subacute radicular leg pain (of less than three months' duration) and chronic leg pain (of greater than three months' duration) with no prior surgery. Negative myelograms and electromyograms (EMGs), in the absence of reflex or motor deficits on physical examination, also pointed toward optimal results. Those patients with chronic pain who had had prior lumbar spine surgery had the least satisfactory results.