Skip to main content
. 2010 Dec;1(3):35–44. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1267066

Table 4.

Outcomes Strength of evidence Conclusions/comments
Question 1: To compare the effectiveness of fusion versus denervation for chronic sacroiliac joint pain after failed conservative management
1. Patient satisfaction Fusion low The majority of patients report satisfaction after both treatments. The rate was higher among denervation subjects; however, this was based on one study with nine subjects.
Denervation very low
2. Improvement in pain Fusion very low Both treatments rendered mean improvements in pain of 3.5–4.9 points on a 10-point scale among studies reporting this outcome; however, only two studies reported this outcome for fusion.
Denervation low
3. Improvement in functional outcome very low Both treatments rendered an improvement in functional outcome based on the Oswestry disability score of 14.0–18.0 points; however, only one fusion study and two denervation studies reported this outcome.
Question 2: To compare the safety of fusion versus denervation for chronic sacroiliac joint pain after failed conservative management
4. Complications low Rates of complications were higher among fusion studies (13.7%) compared to denervation studies (7.3%); however, it is important to note that these are different study populations and the follow-up times are much shorter among denervation studies.
5. Infections low Only fusion studies reported infections (5.3%). No infections were reported among denervation patients.