Comparison of Pain and Quality-of-Life Outcomes Following Bipolar Versus Monopolar Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment for Chronic Lumbosacral Radicular Pain: An Observational Study

Does bipolar pulsed radiofrequency of the dorsal root ganglion outperform monopolar for pain and quality of life in chronic lumbosacral radicular — what this means pain?

143 adults with chronic radicular — what this means pain from lumbosacral disc herniation treated in 2022–2023 (79 bipolar, 64 monopolar)

Observational study combining retrospective and prospective records comparing bipolar vs. monopolar DRG pulsed radiofrequency, with pain tracked at 1, 2, and 6 months and SF-36 at baseline — what this means and 6 months

• Pain dropped meaningfully over time in both groups (p < 0.001)
• At 6 months, average pain rating was 2.32 with bipolar vs. 4.78 with monopolar (p < 0.001); bipolar was better at every follow-up — what this means point
• Total SF-36 at 6 months favored bipolar, 583.61 vs. 425.29 (p < 0.001), with all eight subscales higher
• Complications were tracked as a safety outcome, but no rates are given in the abstract

In this non-randomized — what this means comparison, the bipolar configuration was linked to better 6-month pain and self-reported quality of life, which may shape expectations for rehab progress after DRG pulsed radiofrequency, though group assignment was not randomized.