多次尾骨硬脊膜外類固醇注射可提供慢性下背痛病患滿意的疼痛下降

Repeated caudal steroid injections provided satisfactory pain reduction ,in patients with chronic low back pain

硬脊膜外腔類固醇藥物注射（ Epidual Steroid Injection） 是針對下背痛的治療方式之 一，許多研究報告顯示它的好處，但是很多的報告只針對治療的終了評估而無一連串的追蹤，我們的研究對下背痛的病人給予尾骨硬脊膜外類固醇藥物注射，並連續追蹤三個月（共44位病人，追蹤注射完後3天，1週，1個月，3個月，4個追蹤點的疼痛變化）。經由電話連續追蹤的結果 比對，顯示所有病人在所有的追蹤點的疼痛指欺（ VAS ） 與未注射前比較，皆有改善，（ VAS在4個追蹤點的下降分數分別是2 . 5 , 3 . 2 , 2 . 4 與1. 8 ）。病人的注射次數分別是1到4次不等，而且32%的病人在注射三個月後仍有大於50 %的疼痛改善。我們的研究再次顯示對慢性下背痛的病人而言，尾骨硬脊膜外類固醇注射為 一方便而且可改善疼痛程度的治療。

Epidural steroid injection provides an effective therapy for low back pain. Numerous studies have demonstrated the beneficial for patients. However, most studies were only focused on the end of the therapy without a long-term serial follow up. We observed a serial pain change for 3 months after caudal epidural injections for low back pain patients (a total of 44 patients were checked on the third day, one week, one month and 3 months later after injections). Patients showed better results in pain score after caudal injection for all 4 follow up points of the serial telephone interviews compared with their basal pain condition. Visual analogue pain score (VAS) reduction on 4 check points were averaged of 2.5, 3.2, 2.4, 1.8, respectively. The injections were ranged from 1 to 4, and 32 % patients showed more than 50% reduction of their pain even three months after the injections. Again, our results showed that repeated caudal steroid injection provided a promisingand satisfactory pain relief for patients with chronic low back pain.