The effect of conventional radiofrequency thermocoagulation of femoral and obturator nerves' articular branches on chronic hip pain: a prospective clinical study

Background Chronic hip pain is one of the most common and difficult-to-treat causes of disability. Our study's primary aim was to investigate the effects of ultrasound and fluoroscopy-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the femoral and obturator nerve articular branches on chronic hip pain, and the secondary aim was to determine its effects on hip function and quality of life. Methods Fifty-three patients with hip pain lasting more than three months were enrolled in the study. VPS scale and WOMAC, SF-12 questionnaires were applied to the patients before and in the first, third, and sixth months following the procedure. Results Of the patients, 60.4% were female, and 39.6% were male. Hip pain was caused by osteoarthritis in 77.1%, postoperative hip pain in 12.5%, malignancy in 8.3%, and avascular necrosis in 2.1%. The VPS scores were 8.9 +/- 1.1 (mean +/- SD) in the baseline period, 2.4 +/- 2.5 in the first postoperative week, 3.8 +/- 2.5 in the first month, 5.1 +/- 2.8 in the third month, and 5.8 +/- 2.7 in the sixth month, with a significant decrease in VPS score (P < .001). One patient developed a motor deficit that improved spontaneously. Conclusions We concluded that radiofrequency thermocoagulation application to the articular branches of the femoral and obturator nerves provides pain relief, hip function improvement, and better quality of life (better physical component scores but no improvement in mental component scores in SF-12) for up to 6 months in chronic hip pain.