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Radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain Maas et al (2015) Overview of the study Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of radiofrequency (RF) denervation procedures for the treatment of patients with chronic LBP Methods: Evidence current up to 29 May 2014 Participants: People with chronic LBP with a positive response to diagnostic block or discography Intervention: RF denervation Outcomes: Primary: Pain, functional status, global improvement, health-related quality of life and complications Secondary: Ability to work and satisfaction with treatment

Radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain Maas et al (2015) 23 trials (1309 participants) Results & Conclusions Intervention Evidence Quality of evidence Facet joint RF denervation More effective than placebo for pain at the short-term but not in the intermediate and long-term follow-up Low - Moderate More effective than steroid injection for pain and patient satisfaction at any time of follow-up Very low - Low No more effective than steroid injection for function at long-term Very Low RF denervation for discogenic LBP No more effective than steroid injection for pain and function over the short and intermediate-term Low RF denervation for SI join pain No more effective than placebo for pain and function at short-term but better outcomes at long-term Very low Adverse events: Few, transient events were found, such as subsiding pain and lower limb weakness. It seemed to be more common and lasted longer in the RF group Facet joint RF denervation may have a small effect compared to placebo and steroid injections on chronic low back pain. It seems to have no effect on discogenic LBP and a small effect in the long term for sacroiliac join pain.