Lumbar IDETS:

Lumbar IDET is a procedure where with the help of a needle a certain wire is inserted into a disc, which is causing lower back pain. This is determined by doing a lumbar discogram and an MRI. After failing of conservative treatment, this special wire with an electric heater in the last 2 inches is inserted into the disc and the distal 2 inches of the wire are heated. This general heat treatment of the ligaments of the disc tends to help a fair number of patients and improves their lower back pain. In appropriately selected cases this can be a very useful treatment. After the procedure the patients are prescribed a specific belt to be worn for 4-6 weeks following which carefully tailored rehabilitation program is instituted. The patients that do the best with IDET are generally the ones that have mostly lower back pain, which is not very longstanding and comes from a localized small annular tear of a specific disc. Patients with simple degenerative discs, significantly disrupted discs or patients with chronic lower back pain or significant disc herniations do not benefit from the above procedure.