© 2007 World Institute of Pain, 1530-7085/07/$15.00 Pain Practice, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2007 21–26 Blackwell Publishing IncMalden, USAPPRPain Practice1530-70852007 World Institute of PainMarch 2007 712126Original ArticlePulsed Radiofrequency for Lumbar Radicular PainABEJÓN ET AL. Address correspondence and reprint requests to: David Abejón, MD, FIPP, Hospital Universitario Clínica Puerta de Hierro, Unidad de Dolor, C/ San Martín de Porres, 4, 28035 Madrid, Spain. Tel: 003-46-4-922-4091; Fax: 003-49-1-373-4570; E-mail: dabejon@telefonica.net. Submitted: August 16, 2006; Accepted: December 9, 2006 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Pulsed Radiofrequency in Lumbar Radicular Pain: Clinical Effects in Various Etiological Groups David Abejón, MD, FIPP*; Santiago Garcia-del-Valle, MD † ; María Lorenza Fuentes, MD ‡ ; Juan Ignacio Gómez-Arnau, MD, PhD † ; Enrique Reig, MD, PhD, FIPP § ; Jan van Zundert, MD, PhD, FIPP ¶ *Hospital Universitario Clínica Puerta de Hierro, Madrid; † Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, Madrid; ‡ Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Anesthesia and Pain Unit, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, Madrid; § Clínica del Dolor de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; ¶ Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Multidisciplinary Pain Therapy, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Campus Andre Dumont, Stalenstraat, Belgium  Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) applied to the lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 54 consecutive patients who underwent 75 PRF procedures was performed. The patients were divided into three groups according to the etiology of the lesion (herniated disc [HD], spinal stenosis [SS], and failed back surgery syndrome [FBSS]). The analgesic efficacy of the technique was assessed using a 10-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at baseline and, along with the Global Perceived Effect (GPE), at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days. The reduction in medications and the number of complications associated with the technique were assessed. Results: A decrease in the NRS score was observed in patients with HD (P < 0.05) and SS (P < 0.001), but not in those with FBSS. The GPE scores confirmed this finding. No complications were noted. Conclusions: We observed that PRF of the DRG was signifi- cantly more efficacious in HD and SS than in FBSS patients. The application of PRF was not effective in FBSS.  Key Words: pulsed radiofrequency, dorsal root ganglion, failed back surgery, spinal stenosis, radiofrequency thermocoagulation INTRODUCTION Radiofrequency (RF) thermolesioning adjacent to the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) has been employed for pain relief in patients with cervicobrachial pain, 1–3 thoracic radiculopathy, 4 and chronic lumbar radicular pain (LRP). 5 Despite its widespread use and well-documented efficacy, this option does not appear to be an ideal modality of treatment for LRP because neurodestructive methods for the treatment of neuropathic pain are in principle generally considered inappropriate. Denerva- tion dysesthesia and other neurological adverse effects have been described. 1–5 Sluijter et al. described the use of isothermal RF treat- ment, known as pulsed radiofrequency (PRF), in 1998.