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Lumbar Transforaminal Injection of Steroids

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Encyclopedia of Pain
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Synonyms

Transforaminal steroids

Definition

Lumbar transforaminal injection (TFI) of corticosteroids is a procedure whereby an aliquot of a given corticosteroid preparation is delivered into the immediate vicinity of a lumbar spinal nerve and its respective roots, by way of the corresponding intervertebral foramen. The procedure is designed as a treatment for lumbar radicular pain.

Characteristics

Background

The first description of the “epidural” injection of corticosteroid was via the transforaminal route (Robecchi and Capra 1952). This became the standard route of administration in the 1950s and 1960s, but was superseded by the caudal and interlaminar routes in the United States and in Britain in the 1960s and later in Europe and Scandinavia. These latter routes became the standard for common practice.

In the late 1900s, the beginning of a reversion to the transforaminal route was prompted by a number of factors. These include, among others, reviews suggesting that caudal and...

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Correspondence to James M. Borowczyk .

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Borowczyk, J.M. (2013). Lumbar Transforaminal Injection of Steroids. In: Gebhart, G.F., Schmidt, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pain. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_2250

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