[Side effects and complications of injection therapy for degenerative spinal disorders].

AIM: The type and frequency of side effects due to treatment of vertebral pain syndromes with local injections were examined. Risks and complications were evaluated and precautions are presented in order to avoid these problems.

METHODS

The medical records of 453 patients who had undergone injection therapy in hospital for spinal pain syndromes were investigated retrospectively.

RESULTS

Paravertebral injections with cervical and lumbar spinal nerve analgesia, facet joint injections, lumbar epidural-perineural injections, epidural-dorsal and epidural-sacral injections, and injections next to the ileosacral joint were administered, amounting to a total of 7 963 injections. In 25 cases (0.3 %) unfavourable side effects were observed. Epidural-perineural injections led to headache in 10 cases and paravertebral lumbar nerve analgesia in 3 cases. Five times after epidural-perineural injections circulatory dysregulation with vertigo, nausea and decreased blood pressure was observed. One patient fell after an epidural-perineural injection, and one patient developed a sensory block up to the thoracic segment 6. Five patients showed local allergic reactions at the injection site after Mepivacain. All complications could be treated with simple symptomatic measures and had no severe effects.

CONCLUSION

Compared to other studies, only few side effects were observed. The injections described above may thus be regarded as low-risk therapy.