Experimental technique delivers dramatic relief for severe back pain

A new experimental technique in interventional neurosurgery could offer a promising approach to treating severe, persistent back pain by delivering medication directly to the source of pain through the blood vessels supplying the spine.

Researchers presented the technique at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS). The procedure uses a catheter, a technology widely used in stroke treatment, to reach the blood vessels supplying the affected area and deliver medication directly to the target site.

The technique was tested in six patients with intractable pain in the thoracolumbar region of the spine as part of a study titled “Bilateral Segmental Artery-Directed Infusion of Lidocaine and Dexamethasone for Intractable Thoracolumbar Pain: Preliminary Results.”

Doctors inserted a catheter through the femoral artery and guided it to blood vessels associated with the source of the pain before administering lidocaine and dexamethasone.

The results showed that average pain intensity fell from 9.5 out of 10 before treatment to zero immediately after the procedure. Patients also reduced their need for opioid painkillers. Two patients stopped using opioids completely during their hospital stay, while improvements in pain levels persisted three months after treatment.

The improvement also enabled four patients to resume physical therapy, which they had previously been unable to attend because of the severity of their pain.

“Interventional neurosurgery has transformed the treatment of stroke, aneurysms and other brain and spinal disorders,” said Dr. Matthias Costa, the study’s lead author from the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “We are now exploring whether these same techniques can help patients suffering from severe pain.”

Costa said the early findings suggest that endovascular treatment could help relieve pain, improve physical function and reduce reliance on opioids. However, he stressed that the technique remains in its early stages and requires larger studies to assess its effectiveness and safety before it can be widely adopted.