Short-Term Outcomes of Transforaminal Epidural Injections in Unilateral Lumbosacral Radiculopathy

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term clinical outcomes of transforaminal epidural steroid injections performed by a single surgeon at a single center and to determine in which patient groups the procedure is most effective. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 100 patients who underwent transforaminal epidural injections for unilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy between 2022 and 2023 and were followed for at least 6 months. Clinical benefit was defined as a ≥50% reduction in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores on the 15th postoperative day. Of the 100 patients (45 male, 55 female; mean age 56 years, range 19–81), 86.84% of those treated at a single level experienced significant improvement compared with 13.16% of patients treated at two or more levels (Pearson Chi-Square test, p=0.001). Among patients with isolated lumbar disc pathology, 77.63% benefited from the procedure, whereas only 15.79% of those with concomitant disc and lumbar stenosis did (Pearson Chi-Square test, p=0.001). For patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis (n=8), interpretation should be made cautiously due to limited subgroup size. No significant differences were found among disc types (bulging, protruded, extruded, sequestered) (Kruskal-Wallis test, p>0.05). Transforaminal epidural steroid injection is a highly effective short-term treatment option for patients with isolated lumbar disc pathology. In cases with concomitant lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis, the procedure primarily provides symptomatic relief rather than addressing the underlying pathology. © 2025, Yuzuncu Yil Universitesi Tip Fakultesi. All rights reserved.