Safety and Efficacy of Radiofrequency Ablation of the Medial Branch Nerves with Preexisting Spinal Hardware. A Case Series and Review of Literature

Purpose of ReviewTo explore the efficacy of radio frequency ablation in treating pain in patients with hardware at site of the procedure.Recent FindingsThere is very limited data in literature about this topic. One study performed in 2016 indicated no complications when performing RFA close to hardware in patients with chronic pain conditions.SummaryRadiofrequency ablation can be safely and effectively performed close to hardware. While heating of the hardware can happen which can theoretically lead to tissue injury or decreased heat going to target nerve, this does not seem to be of clinical significance. More studies are needed to confirm this finding.