Abstract
Introduction
The treatment of patients with ISJ dysfunction is difficult due to the multifactorial
causes of pain and various problems in clarification. Treatment includes physical
therapy, corticosteroids, prolotherapy, radiofrequency denervation and sacroiliac
joint fusion. A new option for the surgical treatment of ISG dysfunction is the Torpedo
implant system. For a safe fusion, only 2 implants are needed, which are available
in lengths of 30–50 mm. The new implant system has been tested in pilot studies for
efficacy and biocompatibility with good results. For further documentation for the
Torpedo implant system, a comparative study against the iFuse system was carried out.
Material and Methods
Two different implants were used: Group 1: Deltacor Torpedo, Group 2: iFuse implants
(Si-Bone). The data generated during admission and subsequent check-ups (VAS, ODI,
opioid use) were entered into an evaluation file set up for this purpose. Follow-up
appointments were set at 1 month, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively.
Results
The data of 65 patients were evaluated comparatively. In all comparisons, only very
small effect sizes were found with regard to the differences in the decrease in pain
intensities, so that equivalent effectiveness of the two methods could initially be
postulated from a clinical point of view. Most patients in both groups reported taking
opioids to treat pain before surgery. According to the decrease in pain intensity,
opioid treatment could be discontinued in some patients after the operation. After
12 months, the number of patients treated with opioids decreases to 23% in group 1
and to 17% in group 2. The success of the fusions with the two methods can also be
proven by image documentation, from which the position of the implants can also be
clearly recognised. In no case was there any loosening.
Discussion
Overall, the evaluation of this study allows the conclusion that both implant systems
can be successfully used for the treatment of patients with ISJ syndrome. The present
results should be confirmed in further comparative studies with the proposed evaluation
methods.
Keywords
sacroiliac joint - Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome - comparative study
