OBJECTIVES: To identify the diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic values of transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection as interventional rehabilitation for @entity614 . DESIGN:                 <AbstractText Label="CASE SERIES" NlmCategory="METHODS"/>                <AbstractText Label="SETTING" NlmCategory="METHODS">Regional hospital, Hong Kong. @entity1 : A total of 232 Chinese @entity1 with @entity614 attributed to disc herniation or @entity612 received transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2011. INTERVENTIONS: Transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: @entity1 ' immediate response, response duration, proportion of @entity1 requiring surgery, and risk factors affecting the responses to transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection for @entity614 . RESULTS: Of the 232 @entity1 , 218 (94.0%) had a single level of @entity614 and 14 (6.0%) had multiple levels. L5 was the most commonly affected level. The immediate response rate to transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection was 186 (80.2%) @entity1 with clinically diagnosed @entity614 and magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine suggesting nerve root compression. Of @entity1 with single-level @entity614 and @entity614 , 175 (80.3%) and 11 (78.6%) expressed an immediate response to transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection, respectively. The analgesic effect lasted for 1 to <3 weeks in 35 (15.1%) @entity1 , for 3 to 12 weeks in 37 (15.9%) @entity1 , and for more than 12 weeks in 92 (39.7%) @entity1 . Of the 232 @entity1 , 106 (45.7%) were offered surgery, with 65 (61.3%) underwent operation, and with 42 (64.6%) requiring spinal fusion in addition to decompression surgery. Symptom chronicity was associated with poor immediate transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection response, but not with @entity158 reduction response duration. Poor response to transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection was not associated with a preceding industrial injury. CONCLUSIONS: The immediate response to transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection was approximately 80%. Transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection is a useful diagnostic, prognostic, and short-term therapeutic tool for @entity614 . Although transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection cannot alter the need for surgery in the long term, it is a reasonably safe procedure to provide short-term @entity158 relief and as a preoperative assessment tool.

Clinical value of transforaminal epidural @entity479 injection in XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity612 :: ('MESH:D013130', 'Disease') :: ['spinal stenosis'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['pain'] @entity614 :: ('MESH:D011843', 'Disease') :: ['multiple-level radiculopathy', 'lumbar radiculopathy', 'radiculopathy'] @entity479 :: ('D013256', 'Chemical') :: ['steroid']
@entity614 :: (MESH:D011843,Disease) :: ['lumbar radiculopathy']
