Riassunto dello studio

Sixty-eight patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular pain were randomized to receive PRF 6 minutes (n=34; applied as 3×2 min with 2-min pauses) or PRF 12 minutes (n=34; continuous), both at 42 °C targeting the dorsal root ganglion; modified intention-to-treat included thirty-one per arm after three per group improved pre-procedure and did not receive PRF. The primary outcome was leg pain numerical rating scale (NRS) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included back/leg NRS over time, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Medication Quantification Scale (MQS), Global Perceived Effect of Satisfaction (GPES), and adverse events. Outcomes were assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months. Overall, the results revealed no between-group difference in 3-month leg pain and no significant differences across secondary measures except higher GPES at 6 months favoring 6-minutes; both groups improved from baseline without adverse events. These findings suggest prolonging PRF to 12 minutes confers no additional analgesic benefit over 6 minutes in this setting.