Epidural Steroid Injection in Korean Pain Physicians: A National Survey.
- Author:
Eun Jung KIM
1
;
Jee Youn MOON
;
Keun Suk PARK
;
Da Hye YOO
;
Yong Chul KIM
;
Woo Seog SIM
;
Chul Joong LEE
;
Hwa Yong SHIN
;
Jae Hun KIM
;
Yeon Dong KIM
;
Se Jin LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: dexamethasone; dose; epidural; radiculopathy; spinal pain; steroid; survey; triamcinolone
- MeSH: Consensus; Dexamethasone; Electronic Mail; Humans; Insurance; Korea; Low Back Pain; Pain Clinics; Private Practice; Public Health; Surveys and Questionnaires; Radiculopathy; Steroids; Triamcinolone
- From:The Korean Journal of Pain 2014;27(1):35-42
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND: Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is one of the most common procedures for patients presenting low back pain and radiculopathy. However, there is no clear consensus on what constitutes appropriate steroid use for ESIs. To investigate optimal steroid injection methods for ESIs, surveys were sent to all academic pain centers and selected private practices in Korea via e-mail. METHODS: Among 173 pain centers which requested the public health insurance reimbursements for their ESIs and were enrolled in the Korean Pain Society, 122 completed questionnaires were returned, for a rate of 70.5%; also returned were surveys from 39 academic programs and 85 private practices with response rates of 83.0% and 65.9%, respectively. RESULTS: More than half (55%) of Korean pain physicians used dexamethasone for ESIs. The minimum interval of subsequent ESIs at the academic institutions (3.1 weeks) and the private practices (2.1 weeks) were statistically different (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Although there was a wide range of variation, there were no significant differences between the academic institutions and the private practices in terms of the types and single doses of steroids for ESIs, the annual dose of steroids, or the limitations of doses in the event of diabetes, with the exception of the minimum interval before the subsequent ESI.
