The effects of preadministration of local anesthetic on pulsed radiofrequency

Abstract

Background/aim: Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) has been reported to be a safe and reliable method for the management of a varietyof chronic pain syndromes. It is not known whether the preadministration of local anesthetic increases the size of the electrical field.We revealed the effects of administering local anesthetic on PRF and investigated whether they were related to local anesthetic or fluideffects.Materials and methods: Group 1 (n = 18) received PRF to the suprascapular nerve with 1 mL of bupivacaine, group 2 (n = 20) receivedPRF with 1 mL of physiological saline solution, and group 3 (n = 18) received PRF only.Results: There were significant improvements in visual analog scale (VAS) scores at 30 min, 1 month, and 3 months after treatment ingroup 1 (P < 0.05) and at 1 month and 3 months in groups 2 and 3 (P < 0.05). There was a significant improvement in VAS scores ingroup 1 compared with groups 2 and 3 at 30 min after treatment.Conclusion: PRF applied to the nerve along with local anesthetic may increase pain relief, especially in the early posttreatment period.The favorable effects may depend on the pharmacodynamic features of the local anesthetic.