Coblation Discoplasty Alleviates Cervical Chest Pain after Positive Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Root Block: A Retrospective Study.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE The cervical chest pain (CCP), as one atypical symptom associated with cervical spondylosis, often overlaps with other chest-related diseases. If CCP obviously relieved after ultrasound-guided cervical nerve root block nearby herniated disc, which should be considered as a potential pathological source. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether coblation discoplasty can alleviate CCP after positive ultrasound-guided nerve root block. METHODS From August 2016 to September 2019, 21 patients with high suspicion of CCP experienced over 50% pain relieve after ultrasound-guided diagnostic nerve root block. Through 12 months follow-up, the primary efficacy was assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of CCP, and secondary outcomes included: neck pain VAS, neck disability index (NDI), the proportion of significant CCP relief, the rating of CCP alleviation, the patient satisfaction index (PSI) and analgesic consumption. Adverse events were recorded to evaluate safety. RESULTS Following post-operative 12 months, a time-course analysis confirmed that a robust decline in VAS of CCP (p CONCLUSIONS After positive ultrasound-guided nerve root block, coblation discoplasty can provide up to 12-months of relief for intractable CCP.