OXYGEN-OZONE THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF FACET SYNOVITIS. AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF 36 PATIENTS

M. Bonetti^1†, A. Fontana¹, G. Bragaglio², I. Marchina², G. Guarino² and G. Pellicanò^3†

¹Department of Neuroradiology – Clinical Institute Città di Brescia, Via Bartolomeo Gualla 15, Brescia, Italy
²Poliambulatorio Specialistico Oberdan, Via Guglielmo Oberdan 126, Brescia, Italy
³Department of Neuroradiology – Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi, Largo Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla 3, Firenze, Italy
†These authors contributed equally to this work.

Matteo Bonetti, MD
Neuroradiology Department,
Clinical Institute,
Città di Brescia,
Via Gualla 15,
25128 Brescia, Italy
e-mail: dottorbonetti@gmail.comdottorbonetti@gmail.com

Received: 23 November 2015 Accepted: 10 March 2016

ISSN: 2038-4106 Copyright © by BIOLIFE This publication and/or article is for individual use only and may not be further reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction may result in financial and other penalties. Disclosure: All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

ABSTRACT

The aim of our observational study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment with oxygen-ozone therapy in patients suffering from low back pain related to interarticular synovitis. From November 2014 – October 2015, we enrolled 36 patients with a neuroradiological diagnosis of facet synovitis with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and symptoms characterized by back pain. Follow-up visits for the evaluation of the clinical outcome of the treatment were conducted after 30 ± 4 days and 90 ± 7 days using a modified version of McNab’s method. At the clinical check-up, carried out 30 days ± 4 from the end of the treatment, in 25 patients (69.4%), we obtained a complete remission of pain with a single treatment, while in the remaining 11 (30.6 %) we carried out a second treatment ten days later, obtaining an excellent clinical benefit in 4, while in the remaining 7 (19.4%) it was decided to suspend this therapeutic option. At 90 ± 7 days of the 29 patients with positive outcomes, 27 (93.1%) reported complete resolution of painful symptoms, while 2 (6.9%) reported partial recovery of painful symptoms. Based on the excellent therapeutic results obtained in our series, we believe oxygen-ozone therapy performed with a guided CT technique is a valid therapeutic alternative for treating facet synovitis.

KEYWORDS: oxygen, ozone, facet synovitis, low back pain

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