Percutaneous radiofrequency lumbar facet rhizotomy in mechanical low back pain syndrome.

During the period from March 1992 to June 1996, we performed percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) facet rhizotomy in 324 patients with low back pain. Employing the lesion generator, we coagulated branches of the zygapophyseal nerve to treat low back pain. The follow-up period was 6-51 months (average: 22.5 months). There were no complications during the procedure and the follow-up period and no poor results were observed. Two-hundred and thirty-one patients (103 females and 128 males) had mechanical low back pain syndrome and showed marked improvement of pain after the procedure, including 29 cases with previous spinal surgery. We concluded that percutaneous RF facet rhizotomy is a safe and effective procedure for low back pain patients, especially for those with mechanical low back pain syndrome.