Purpose of Review

Low back pain with radicular symptoms is a common cause of disability in the adult population in the USA. Lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is one of the most frequently used intervention for lumbar radiculitis. The purpose of this review is to evaluate complications associated with lumbar TFESI.

Recent Findings

Based on the literature review, the reported rate of minor complications was between 2.4 and 9.6%. The major complications including spinal abscess, spinal cord infarct, and epidural hematoma were documented as case reports. Some patients with spinal cord infarct had permanent neurologic deficits, while the other patients had recovery of neurological function after surgical or medical intervention.

Summary

This review identifies both the minor and major complications related to lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections. According to this review, most complications are minor. Lumbar TFESI can be considered a safe treatment in the management of lumbar radicular pain. However, pain specialists should be aware of the potentially devastating major complications. Early recognition and treatment of complications are crucial for improving the outcome.

中文翻译：

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与腰椎间孔硬膜外类固醇注射相关的并发症

审查目的

伴有神经根症状的腰痛是美国成年人群残疾的常见原因。腰椎间孔硬膜外类固醇注射 (TFESI) 是治疗腰神经根炎最常用的干预措施之一。本综述的目的是评估与腰椎 TFESI 相关的并发症。

最近的发现

根据文献综述，报告的轻微并发症发生率在 2.4% 至 9.6% 之间。包括脊髓脓肿、脊髓梗塞和硬膜外血肿在内的主要并发症被记录为病例报告。部分脊髓梗死患者存在永久性神经功能缺损，而另一些患者在手术或药物干预后神经功能恢复。

概括

本综述确定了与腰椎椎间孔硬膜外类固醇注射相关的轻微和严重并发症。根据这篇评论，大多数并发症都是轻微的。腰椎 TFESI 可被认为是治疗腰椎神经根性疼痛的安全治疗方法。然而，疼痛专家应该意识到潜在的破坏性主要并发症。早期识别和治疗并发症对于改善结果至关重要。