PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sancar, Kaya S.
AU  - Şeref, Çelik
AU  - Hamit, Göksu
AU  - Yavuz, Akçaboy E.
AU  - Şaziye, Şahin
TI  - Does the severity of facet joint osteoarthritis affect facet medial branch radiofrequency thermocoagulation results?
AID  - 10.17712/nsj.2025.30.4.20240037
DP  - 2025 Apr 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 144--149
VI  - 30
IP  - 2
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/30/2/144.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/30/2/144.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2025 Apr 01; 30
AB  - Objectives: To assess how facet medial branch radiofrequency thermocoagulation (FMB-RFT) outcomes are affected by severe facet joint osteoarthritis (FJO).Methods: This retrospective study involved 91 individuals with lumbar facet joint disease-related chronic lower back pain (CLBP), all of whom underwent FMB-RFT. The patients were assigned to 3 groups using the Weishaupt facet grading system (WFGS). Pain scores were assessed prior to treatment, as well as at the 1-, 6-, and 12-month marks.Results: Based on the WFGS, 38 of the 91 patients were assigned a grade 1 FJO, 28 a grade 2 FJO, and 25 a grade 3 FJO. The percentage of patients in each group who saw a 50% or greater improvement in their pain scores at 1, 6, and 12 months did not differ significantly.Conclusion: For patients with CLBP, FMB-RFT has been shown to be safe and effective in both the short and long terms. The results from FMB-RFT do not seem to be affected by the severity of FJO.