US researchers report catheter technique cut severe back pain scores from 9.5 to zero

Researchers in the United States presented a new technique at the 23rd annual meeting of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery that delivers medication directly to the arteries supplying the spine through a catheter, a method borrowed from stroke treatment. The study focused on six patients with treatment-resistant pain in the thoracolumbar region. A catheter was inserted through the groin artery and used to inject lidocaine and dexamethasone at the source of the pain. The researchers reported that average pain scores on a 10-point scale dropped from 9.5 before the procedure to zero immediately afterward, with a marked reduction in the need for opioid painkillers. Two patients stopped the medication entirely during their hospital stay, while four resumed physical therapy sessions they had previously been unable to attend due to pain. Lead author Matías Costa, from the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said the team investigated whether neurointerventional techniques that have transformed stroke and aneurysm care could also benefit patients with severe pain. Costa noted that the early results suggest intra-arterial therapy may relieve pain and reduce opioid dependence, but stressed that broader studies are needed before the method can be widely adopted.