Clinical trial NCT03924791: Transforaminal Epidural Injection in Acute Sciatica
Official title: Transforaminal Epidural Injection in Acute Sciatica
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Sciatica
Sciatica Due to Intervertebral Disc Disorder
Sciatic Radiculopathy
Keywords: Sciatica
Acute sciatica
Transforaminal epidural injection
Leg pain
Lumbar spine
Back pain
Lumbar surgery
Herniated intervertebral lumbar disk
Cost-effectiveness
Lead sponsor: Leiden University Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Spaarne Gasthuis
name: Stichting Achmea Gezondheidszor
name: Posthumus Meyjes Fonds
First posted: 2019-04-23
Enrollment: 142
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Patients will be randomized to either treatment with transforaminal epidural injection or standard oral pain medication.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Patients suffering from sciatica are treated conservatively for the first 8 weeks due to the favourable prognosis. This period is preferably extended up to 14-16 weeks after which patients may opt for surgery. However, patients may experience severe discomfort due to pain in the leg which can lead to decreased physical activity and socio-economic problems. An adequate therapy to alleviate symptoms during this period of 'wait-and-see' is lacking. In this study, patients will be randomized to treatment with transforaminal epidural injections or standard oral pain medication.

Detailed description: Sciatica is a condition of radicular pain in the leg and is usually caused by herniation of a lumbar intervertebral disc. The herniated disc compresses a lumbar nerve root that continues its route into the sciatic nerve. About 13% to 40% of all people will suffer from sciatica at least once during their lifetime. Sciatica can have severe socio-economic effects; patients are immobilised by the pain they experience and therefore cannot go to work or participate in social events. Most cases resolve spontaneously with conservative therapy using only standard analgesics and/or physiotherapy. In a large RCT it was demonstrated that outcome of conservative and surgical therapy was comparable after 26 weeks. With this knowledge the guidelines for surgical treatment of sciatica were adjusted and it is nowadays usual care to offer surgery only after at least 8 weeks of conservative care and preferably after 14-16 weeks of conservative care. This decision is made together with the patient in a process of Shared Decision making. Although this treatment regimen has been demonstrated to be efficacious and cost effective, the burden for a patient during these weeks of conservative care is usually high. The investigators seek to find a type of conservative care to reduce the discomfort due to the pain and to enable the patient to remain physically active. Not only will this add to the quality of life of the patient, but it will also prevent the patient from taking a sick-leave. In this study, patients will be randomized to either treatment with transforaminal epidural injections or to standard care consisting of oral pain medication.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with sciatica by GP
* NRS leg pain of 6 or more on a 10-point NRS scale
* Minimum duration of symptoms of 3 weeks and maximum duration of 8 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

* Age under 18 years
* Condition preventing to receive transforaminal epidural injection
* Severe scoliosis
* Transforaminal epidural injection received in 6 months before randomization date
* Surgery for sciatica at the same level
* Surgery for sciatica at another level within one year before inclusion
* Pregnancy

Primary outcomes:
measure: Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for leg pain
timeFrame: 2 weeks after randomization
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for leg pain
timeFrame: Baseline, 1, 4, 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for back pain
timeFrame: Baseline, 1, 2, 4, 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
timeFrame: Baseline, 1, 2, 4, 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: EuroQoL Cost Utility (EQ-5D)
timeFrame: Baseline, 2, 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Quality of Life Visual Analogue Scale
timeFrame: Baseline, 2, 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Likert scale
timeFrame: Baseline, 1, 2, 4, 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Cost diary
timeFrame: 10 and 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Complications from treatment with transforaminal epidural injection (TEI)
timeFrame: Throughout the follow-up of 21 weeks
measure: Level and shape of disc herniation from MRI data
timeFrame: 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Size of disc herniation from MRI data
timeFrame: 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Pfirrmann scale for disc degeneration on MRI
timeFrame: 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Histology of disc material obtained during surgery
timeFrame: 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Modic scale for end plate changes on MRI
timeFrame: 21 weeks after randomization
measure: Weishaupt scale for facet degeneration on MRI
timeFrame: 21 weeks after randomization
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Haarlem
country: Netherlands
facility: Spaarne Gasthuis
city: Hoofddorp
country: Netherlands
facility: Spaarne Gasthuis
Study officials:
affiliation: Leiden University Medical Center
name: Carmen LA Vleggeert-Lankamp, MD Msc Ph.D
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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