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The following is a summary of “Safety and Preliminary Effectiveness of Lateral Transiliac Sacroiliac Joint Fusion by Interventional Pain Physicians: A Retrospective Analysis,” published in the June 2024 issue of Pain by Jung, et al.
Minimally invasive sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion, a leading treatment for chronic SI joint dysfunction, offers various techniques (lateral/posterolateral transiliac or dorsal with devices/allograft), but surgeons dominate the published research, particularly on the lateral approach.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study on how interventional pain physicians perform to assess the safety and initial effectiveness of minimally invasive SI joint fusion.
They involved patients who had undergone lateral SI joint fusion using a lateral transiliac approach (December 2022 to September 2023) by one physician. Data on patient characteristics, perioperative specifics, complications, and postoperative results were collected and analyzed. The WCG IRB reviewed the study and granted exemption approval.
The results showed that medical charts were reviewed for the first 49 consecutive cases performed. The mean (SD, range) age was 64 (11, 34–83) years, with a mean BMI of 32.5 (8.4). Among them, 59% were female, 35% were smokers, and 82% were on opioids at baseline. The mean (SD) operative time was 40 (11) minutes, and all procedures took place at an ambulatory surgery center under monitored anesthesia care—no complications related to the device or method. The mean follow-up period was 175 days. Initially, patients reported a mean (SD) pain score of 9 (1.5) on a 0–10 numerical rating scale. At follow-up, 88% of patients reported ≥50% pain relief. Six patients who reported 0% relief had multiple pain sources and were using long-term opioids.
Investigators found minimally invasive lateral SI joint fusion with threaded implants safe when performed by interventional pain physicians but recommend larger, prospective studies for stronger evidence.
