European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Background: The Degenerative lumbar disc disease requires a multimodal therapeutic approach. Lumbar radiculopathy is a prevalent symptom that results from (a) mechanical pressure on nerve roots caused by a herniated disc (b) chemical irritation from inflammatory mediators1 and (c) compression of arteries supplying and veins draining the nerve roots. Given the complex pathophysiology of the degenerative cascade, an initial non-surgical management approach is necessary. Objectives: to determine the efficacy of Selective Nerve Root Block (SNRB) for pain relief. SNRB is an effective and less invasive intervention that is easy to administer and serves as an adjunct to non-operative treatment. Materials & Methods: A total of 46 patients who fulfilled these inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. The duration of symptoms ranged from 4 to 24 weeks, and all patients were initially treated with analgesics, drugs for neuropathic pain, and physiotherapy, which failed to result in the resolution of radiculopathy. The nerve root block was performed in the operating theater with fluoroscopic guidance, using the technique described by Bogduk et al. under aseptic precautions. Pain Relief was measured periodically using Visual Analogue Scale. Results: Our study included a total of 46 patients with radiculopathy, consisting of 23 male and 23 female patients, with 1 patient having L3 radiculopathy, 36 patients having L5 radiculopathy, and nine patients having S1 radiculopathy. Immediate pain relief was observed in all 46 patients after the nerve root block procedure. Conclusion: Transforaminal epidural steroid injections may be used as part of a multimodal treatment regimen to provide pain relief in selected patients with radicular pain. Short-term (3 months) pain relief was very good, indicating that SNRB can be used to postpone surgery. However, long-term results require further follow-up. SNRB is therapeutically effective in relieving lumbar radiculopathy pain, easy to administer, cost- effective, and has minimal complications. Therefore, it is recommended for initial non-surgical management