Table 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics (N=42)
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Age at the time of first ESI, years | |
| Mean (SD) | 70.3 (15.4) |
| Median (range) | 74 (16.0–91.0) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 19 (45.2) |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 5 (11.9) |
| Inflammatory disease, n (%) | 12 (28.6) |
| Malignant disease, n (%) | 8 (19.0) |
| Concurrent medication, n (%)a | |
| Aspirin | 3 (7.1) |
| Acetaminophen | 2 (4.8) |
| Gabapentin | 24 (57.1) |
| Local anesthetic | 5 (11.9) |
| Opioid | 13 (31.0) |
| SSRI or SNRI | 2 (4.8) |
| Steroid | 1 (2.4) |
| Tricyclic antidepressant | 6 (14.3) |
| Location of cutaneous rash | |
| Cervical | 1 (2.4) |
| Extremity | 2 (4.8) |
| Lumbar | 5 (11.9) |
| Thoracic | 34 (81.0) |
| Duration of postherpetic neuralgia, median (range), months | 4 (0–217) |
| ESI medication | |
| Steroid only | 15 (40.5) |
| Steroid + local anesthetic | 22 (59.5) |
| No data | 5 |
| Approach of ESI | |
| Interlaminar | 37 (97.4) |
| Transforaminal | 1 (2.6) |
| No data | 4 |
| Number of ESI treatments | |
| Mean (SD) | 1.2 (0.5) |
| Median (range) | 1 (1–3) |
| Moderate-to-good pain relief after ESI | |
| 2 weeks | 24 (57.1) |
| 12 weeks | 19 (45.2) |
Note: aNo patient concurrently used a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
Abbreviations: ESI, epidural steroid injection; SNRI, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.