What is the IDET procedure?
IDET involves the placement of a small wire through a needle into a painful, symptomatic lumbar(lower back) disc(s). The procedure is performed by a pain management physician with the use of x-ray(fluoroscopy). Which patients are candidates for the IDET procedure? 1. Patients should have failed conservative therapy for lower back pain and have had a duration of symptoms for at least 6 months. Conservative therapies include: physical therapy, medical management, epidural steroids and spinal manipulation. 2. Patients must have evidence for concordant pain generation at discography. Patients with torn, bulging, or herniated discs often have a disc source of pain. Which patients are NOT candidates for the IDET procedure? 1. Patients that have not tried conservative therapy. 2. Patients without pain or non-concordant pain at discography. This may even include patients with morphological abnormalities such as bulging, torn or herniated discs. 3. Patients with significant neurological deficit
