The outcomes of treatment with the epidural butorphanol plus corticosteroid were compared with those of treatment with the epidural corticosteroid alone with the use of parametric and nonparametric analyses as appropriate for the data. The independent-sample Student t tests, Fisher’s exact tests, Pearson Chi-square selleck products tests, Mann?CWhitney U test were performed with the use of SAS statistical package (SAS institute, Cary, NC, USA). A P value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Study group Between October 2007 and September 2010, 120 patients who satisfy the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study, with 60 patients in the butorphanol plus corticosteroid group and 60 in the corticosteroid group.

Randomization was done after we had taken written informed consent from the study participants and obtained baseline information. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to baseline characteristics [Table 1]. Table 1 Baseline characteristics of 120 patients with sciatica randomly assigned to receive butorphanol plus corticosteroid or corticosteroid alone Withdrawals A total of 18 of the 120 patients did not complete the 3 follow-up visits. In the butorphanol plus corticosteroid group, 2 patients did not come after the first injection, 5 patients did not come after the first visit and 3 patients did not come after the second visit. In the corticosteroid group, 2 patients did not come after the first injection, 4 patients did not come after the first visit and 3 patients did not come after the second visit.

There were no significant differences between Cilengitide the 2 groups with regard to withdrawals [Table 2]. Mean number of follow-up visits in the butorphanol plus corticosteroid group (2.68 ?? 0.77) was not significantly different from that in the corticosteroid group (2.71?? 0.74) (independent sample Student t test, P = 0.83). Table 2 Withdrawals of the 120 patients with sciatica randomly assigned to receive butorphanol plus corticosteroid or corticosteroid alone Complications Twelve patients in the butorphanol plus corticosteroid group (20%) and 16 patients in the corticosteroid group (26.67%) experienced a fleeting headache within 24 h after at least one of the epidural injections (Fisher’s exact test, P = 0.52). Response to treatment In the butorphanol plus corticosteroid group, 25 (41.

67%) patients received 1 injection, 28 (46.67%) patients received 2 injections, and only 7 (11.67%) patients received 3 injections, as compared with 14 (23.33%), 20 (33.33%), and 26 (43.33%) patients, respectively, in sellckchem the corticosteroid group. Mean number of injections in the butorphanol group (1.7 ?? 0.67) was significantly different from that of the corticosteroid group (2.2 ?? 0.8) (independent sample Student t test, P = 0.0003). At each follow-up visit, patients were re-evaluated by recording the various outcome measures.