A simple diagnostic imaging procedure can help identify patients with lower back pain who would benefit from spinal injections and spare those who would not, according to a study appearing in the February issue of Radiology.
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) shows abnormal activity of cells in the spine, which can help doctors identify problems that may be causing a patient's symptoms.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, lower back pain is the most common cause of work-related disability and a leading contributor to job-related absenteeism in the United States.
Approximately 85 percent of adults suffer from back pain at some time during their lives. Chronic lower back pain is often caused by degenerative changes in the spine and is commonly treated by steroid and anesthetic injections to the small joints of the spine called the facet joints.
"Facet joint injections can be a good short-term treatment alternative in some patients, but these injections don't help all patients, are relatively expensive and can cause complications," said the study's lead author, Spiros G. Pneumaticos, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
"Bone SPECT can help identify the patients with lower back pain who would benefit from facet joint injections. The patients with negative bone SPECT should be spared the injections," he said.
For a bone SPECT exam, the patient receives an injection into the vein with a radioactive material that travels to the bones. The patient lies underneath the camera, and pictures are taken for approximately 30 minutes. The SPECT images illuminate abnormalities in cell function.