Epidural steroid injections for chronic low back- and lower extremity-pain in Sjogren's syndrome: A case report

Highlights

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Ten to fifteen percent of the Sjogren’s syndrome patients present with polyneuropathy pain involvement.

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Pain treated with lumbar interlaminar epidural steroid injections is a safe technique for relieving the symptoms.

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Interlaminar epidural block is an alternative therapy management for neuropathic pain in Sjogren’s syndrome.

Introduction and importance

Peripheral nervous system involvement is very common in Sjogren's syndrome (SS); however, polyradiculopathy has been reported rarely in association with SS, and predominantly chronic forms have been described. Here, we reported a case from our Neurosurgery Department in Intan Medika KIM Hospital, Bangka Island, Pangkalpinang, Indonesia; as Academic Health System of Universitas Padjadjaran.

Case presentation

A 32-year-old woman, diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome that was characterized by anti-nuclear, anti-Ro, anti-La and anti dsDNA-antibodies positives since 3 years ago; consulted to our department for a chronic low back with radicular pain in both lower limbs from the gluteal area to both feet together with numbness, hyperstesis and allodynia. The pain was evaluated by the visual analogue scale (VAS) score of 8; we then performed cervico-lumbal computed tomography (CT) scan that demonstrated multiple protruded discs of the cervical- and lumbar spine.

Clinical discussion

The pain was treated with lumbar interlaminar epidural steroid injections as a safe technique that allows relieve to patient symptoms; after 10 min, the patient experienced an improvement in her pain with reduced scores to 0–1 in VAS, as well as a significant improvement on her quality of life later on.

Conclusion

The use of lumbar interlaminar epidural steroid injections as an alternative therapy for neuropathic pain in SS gives a satisfactory result in terms of improvement of pain as well as a significant improvement in patients' quality of life.

Lumbar interlaminar epidural steroid injections for chronic low back- and lower extremity-pain in Sjogren's syndrome: A case report

Author: 

Ahmad Faried,Sumartini Dewi,Herry Herman,Alif Noeriyanto Rahman

Publication: 

International Journal of Surgery Case Reports

Publisher: 

Elsevier

Date: 

May 2022

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IJS Publishing Group Ltd.