Table 3.
Variables associated with moderate-to-good pain relief, 12 weeks after ESI
| Variable | Number of patients (%) | Odds ratio (95% CI) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic variables | |||
| Age at first intervention, years | |||
| ≤60 | 4/9 (44) | Reference | |
| >60 | 15/33 (45) | 1.02 (0.23–4.50) | 0.98 |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 10/23 (43) | Reference | |
| Female | 9/19 (47) | 1.16 (0.34–3.94) | 0.80 |
| Diabetes mellitus | |||
| No | 16/37 (43) | Reference | |
| Yes | 3/5 (60) | 1.83 (0.28–12.11) | 0.53 |
| Inflammatory disease | |||
| No | 14/30 (47) | Reference | |
| Yes | 5/12 (42) | 0.83 (0.22–3.22) | 0.79 |
| Malignant disease | |||
| No | 15/34 (44) | Reference | |
| Yes | 4/8 (50) | 1.26 (0.27–5.88) | 0.77 |
| Concurrent medicationsa | |||
| Aspirin | |||
| No | 18/39 (46) | Reference | |
| Yes | 1/3 (33) | 0.7 (0.06–7.85) | 0.77 |
| Acetaminophen | |||
| No | 18/40 (45) | Reference | |
| Yes | 1/2 (50) | 1.22 (0.07–20.84) | 0.89 |
| Gabapentin | |||
| No | 8/18 (44) | Reference | |
| Yes | 11/24 (46) | 1.05 (0.31–3.59) | 0.93 |
| Local anesthetic | |||
| No | 18/37 (49) | Reference | |
| Yes | 1/5 (20) | 0.35 (0.04–2.94) | 0.33 |
| Opioid | |||
| No | 14/29 (48) | Reference | |
| Yes | 5/13 (38) | 0.69 (0.18–2.62) | 0.58 |
| SSRI or SNRI | |||
| No | 19/40 (48) | Reference | |
| Yes | 0/2 (0) | 0.22 (0.01–9.57) | 0.43 |
| Steroid | |||
| No | 19/41 (46) | Reference | |
| Yes | 0/1 (0) | 0.38 (0–37.09) | 0.68 |
| Tricyclic antidepressant | |||
| No | 15/36 (42) | Reference | |
| Yes | 4/6 (67) | 2.5 (0.41–15.05) | 0.31 |
| Symptoms and interventions | |||
| Level of ESI | |||
| Thoracal | 15/29 (52) | Reference | |
| Cervical | 3/7 (43) | 0.94 (0.05–16.43) | 0.95 |
| Lumbar | 1/2 (50) | 0.73 (0.14–3.83) | 0.78 |
| ESI medication | |||
| Steroid only | 8/15 (53) | Reference | |
| Steroid+local anesthetic | 11/22 (50) | 0.88 (0.24–3.28) | 0.85 |
| Approach of ESI | |||
| Interlaminar | 18/37 (49) | Reference | |
| Transforaminal | 1/1 (100) | 3.22 (0.03–318.54) | 0.61 |
| Location of cutaneous rash | |||
| Thoracic | 15/34 (44) | Reference | |
| Cervical | 1/1 (100) | 3.79 (0.04–370.99) | 0.58 |
| Extremity | 1/2 (50) | 1.26 (0.07–21.82) | 0.91 |
| Lumbar | 2/5 (40) | 0.9 (0.13–6.02) | 0.62 |
| Likelihood of treatment response based on duration of PHN | |||
| ≤11 months | 16/29 (55) | Reference | |
| >11 months | 3/13 (23) | 0.27 (0.06–1.17) | 0.08 |
Note: aNo patients concurrently used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Abbreviations: ESI, epidural steroid injection; PHN, postherpetic neuralgia; SNRI, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.