Intradiscal electrothermic therapy (IDET) for disc-related low back pain

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Intradiscal electrothermic therapy (IDET) for disc-related low back pain

Illustration of intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET)

Intradiscal electrothermic therapy (IDET) is an experimental, minimally invasive treatment for spinal disc-related chronic low back pain. This type of persistent disc pain is thought to be caused by nerve fibers that have grown from their normal location in the outer layers of the disc, reaching into the disc interior.

Before an IDET procedure, you are given a sedative and a local anesthetic. Using "live" X-ray imaging (fluoroscopy), a doctor inserts a hollow needle containing a thin flexible tube (catheter) and heating element into the spinal disc. The catheter is positioned in a circle around the inside of the disc, and is then slowly heated to about . The heat is meant to kill the nerve fibers and toughen the disc tissue, sealing any small tears. Antibiotics, either given into a vein (intravenous) or injected into the disc, are used to prevent a disc infection.

Credits

Primary Medical Reviewer	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Kathie Hummel-Berry, PT, PhD - Physical Therapy
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics
Last Updated	February 15, 2006

Last updated:	February 15, 2006
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics

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