Radiofrequency Ablation in Turkey

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Rhizotomy, another name for radiofrequency ablation (RFA), is one of the most recent methods for treating pain. In this nonsurgical method, radiofrequency waves are sent to certain nerves with the intention of preventing the brain from receiving pain signals. RFA primarily targets pain from the sacroiliac joints, which can cause persistent low back pain, and the facet joints, which can cause chronic pain in the neck or lower back.

What are facet joints?

Facet joints are a pair of tiny joints that are situated at each level of the spine’s vertebrae. Two medial branch nerves are attached to each facet joint, and they send messages, including pain signals, from the joints to the spine and brain. The sacroiliac joints, which are situated between the sacrum and ilium in the pelvis at the lowest point of the spine, are also connected to nerves that provide messages to various body areas.

 

Radiofrequency ablation aims to:

• Halt or lessen pain
• Increase performance
• Reduce the number of painkillers you consume
• Prevent or put off surgery

You should consider radiofrequency ablation (RFA) if you have:

• Pain alleviation after a nerve block injection. This informs your healthcare professional that the specific nerve is the cause of your discomfort and a suitable target for RFA.
• Chronic pain which does not improve with other therapies, such as physical therapy and painkillers.

Radiofrequency ablation may not be an option for you if you:

• Are pregnant
• Have a disease
• Have a bleeding issue

Radiofrequency ablation is frequently used to treat pain in the spine, particularly in the neck and lower back (lumbar area of your spine), as well as pain coming from joints (like your knee). The spinal cord’s nerves leave the spine and proceed to the facet joints and sacroiliac joints. Your spine is flexible thanks to facet joints, which also let your back move and bend and twist. Your brain receives a signal that there is pain coming from the facet joints through two tiny nerves called medial branch nerves that are attached to these joints. Your sacroiliac joints are located directly above your tailbone, close to the base of your spine. These joints’ lateral branch nerves transmit pain signals from the spine to the brain. By targeting the medial branch nerve in the facet joints or the lateral branch nerve in the sacroiliac joints using radiofrequency ablation, pain impulses are prevented from reaching your brain.

Radiofrequency ablation targets damaged tissue by heating it up with radio waves. Radiofrequency causes nerve damage when it is applied to nerve tissue, which blocks or delays the pain signal from reaching the brain and relieves pain. A tiny hollow needle is placed into the pain-causing nerve during a radiofrequency ablation operation. The radio waves are sent through the needle to the intended nerve after an electrode is put into the tip of the needle. The nerve’s ability to transmit pain signals to your brain is compromised by a lesion that the heat generates. The treatment does not harm nearby healthy nerves.Invest in your health, invest in a brighter future. Our comprehensive medical programs deliver real results, while you indulge in the beauty and serenity of our destination.

Uses for radiofrequency ablation include:

• Nerve Ablation. Chronic pain is brought on by illnesses including sacroiliac (SI) joint pain and spine arthritis (spondylosis). This pain also affects your knee, back, and neck. Radiofrequency ablation can destroy nerve cells that are responsible for transmitting certain types of chronic pain from the spinal cord to the brain. About 70% of RFA operations in the correct individuals offer pain alleviation that lasts for a year or longer. Some persons who suffer from degenerative back and neck issues or persistent rheumatoid arthritis may find the therapy helpful.
• Venous insufficiency. Blood can pool in the legs, ankles, and feet as a result of chronic venous insufficiency, which is inadequate blood flow from one or more damaged veins in the legs back up to the heart. Blood flow can be redirected to healthier veins in the legs by radiofrequency ablation, which can shut off the damaged vein.
• Cancer pain
• Trigeminal neuralgia which triggers facial pain
• Discomfort in the peripheral nerve
• Heart issues
• Tumors (to kill cells)

• As you won’t be able to drive or operate machinery for at least 24 hours after the surgery, please make arrangements for someone to drive you home.
• Except for a tiny amount of water if you need to take drugs the day of the surgery, avoid eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before the treatment.
• On the day of the procedure, if you have diabetes and take insulin, you must adjust the insulin dosage. If any adjustments are required, speak with the doctor who oversees the administration of your diabetes or insulin. You should bring your diabetes medicine so you can take it right away following the surgery.
• You must stop taking any blood thinners or antiplatelet drugs with your doctor’s approval if you are currently using them. All other prescriptions should still be taken as usual with a little sip of water. To take your meds following the surgery, bring all of your prescriptions with you. It is very important to note that you must always talk to your main or referring doctor before stopping any prescription.

You will first lay on your stomach on a special X-ray table. Your healthcare professional will use monitors to keep an eye on your condition throughout the procedure. Throughout the surgery, your healthcare expert will keep an eye on your condition using monitors. Throughout the process, you’ll be awake and able to respond to questions from your doctor. It is optional to be given medication to help you relax throughout the treatment.

The area of your skin where a needle will be put will be numbed by your doctor using a local anesthetic. Then,

• The painful spot is punctured with a little needle.
• Fluoroscopy is a particular type of continuous real-time X-ray that is used to guide needle placement.
• Your doctor will do a test to ensure the needle is in the correct location once it has arrived at the desired site. As part of the test, a microelectrode is placed via the hollow needle. Your physician will inquire as to whether you experience tingling (or discomfort or a muscle twitch). This indicates that the ideal setting for treatment has been identified.
• To numb the target location, a local anesthetic is given through the needle.
• To heat the specific area of the nerve, a radiofrequency current is passed through the needle.
• By destroying that portion of the nerve, the current prevents your body from receiving pain signals from that place.
• During the treatment, more than one nerve can be addressed (if needed).

You might feel some discomfort or a burning sensation at the spot during the procedure. Following the treatment, the pain could last for a week or more. Pain may be reduced by placing an ice pack on the area and applying it for 20 minutes intermittently. You can experience some momentary numbness, at the site where the needle is inserted into your skin.

Depending on the location of the therapy and the number of treatments administered, radiofrequency ablation can be finished in 15 minutes to two hours.

• Shortly following your surgery, you’ll be sent home. You need a ride home from someone. When you get home, rest. Do not drive or engage in any intense activity for 24 hours following the operation.
• You can resume your regular activities, such as taking a bath or a shower, after a day or two.
• For a few days after treatment, you can still have discomfort, pain, or muscular spasms at the treatment site. For the soreness and agony, your doctor may have recommended painkillers. During the first day of your recovery at home, you can also apply an ice pack to the injection site for 20 minutes at a time, on and off a few times.
• Physical therapy may have also been suggested by your doctor to help you restore your strength and flexibility.
• Additionally, you’ll have a follow-up visit to assess your development and have any questions you might have addressed.

Radiofrequency ablation has several benefits, including:

• Easing of pain
• No surgical procedure
• Almost no time for healing
• Fewer painkillers are required
• Enhanced performance
• After a day or two of rest, you will be allowed to resume your regular activities.

Complications from RFA are extremely unlikely. Pain or irreversible nerve injury might happen occasionally. Some patients may have a worsening of their initial pain. Other issues like an infection or bleeding where the needle was inserted are rare.

Though the discomfort can occasionally be bothersome and continue for several weeks, these symptoms are normally not severe. These symptoms may be more frequent at higher levels of the neck, even though they are less frequent in the mid and low back. Increased irritation of a nerve that was only partially injured and may yet have some function may be the cause of these side effects. Small neck and mid- or low-back muscles are controlled by the medial branch nerves, however, there is typically little to no noticeable loss of motor function if these neurons are lost. Since the muscles and feeling in the arms and legs are not controlled by the lateral branch nerves, those areas are less likely to be adversely affected by a heat lesion.

Without the capacity to sense sensation through the nerves that have been treated, there may be a concern that a neck or back injury could result. However, there is no scientific support for this worry. In actuality, it has not been discovered that patients’ risk of harm has grown throughout the many years that neurotomies have been conducted.

Although extremely unlikely, the radiofrequency ablation method carries some substantial hazards. These dangers can be connected to the RFA process or the anesthesia is given before the therapy. Here are a few instances of dangers connected with the RFA process:

• Overly sensitive skin at the injection site, which is known as hyperesthesia
• Superficial skin infections over the injection site
• During needle insertion, nearby blood vessels and nerves are damaged, causing severe bleeding and/or irreparable neurologic damage that results in long-lasting numbness and tingling

• Structures around the target nerve that have been damaged by heat
• Allergic response to the skin-numbing anesthetic

In addition to these dangers, it’s possible that some people will experience muscle tissue damage and injection site itchiness. Although it is uncommon, light to severe sedation or general anesthesia may occasionally be administered during the RFA process. Rarely, the sedative procedure may cause allergic responses and respiratory depression (difficulty with breathing).

After radiofrequency ablation, the majority of patients experience some pain alleviation, but the degree depends on the origin and location of the pain. In some people, pain relief happens right away, in others, it takes up to three weeks, while in still others it happens within ten days. Pain alleviation may last for six to twelve months. The relief lasts for a few years for some people. Others might only have modest pain relief. A damaged nerve can grow back. If it does, it often occurs six to twelve months following the treatment. If necessary, radiofrequency ablation can be repeated.

Discuss the likelihood that your surgery will be successful and the potential duration of your pain alleviation with your healthcare professional. Based on the precise reason, location, and intensity of your pain, your provider will give you their best estimate.

You may ask yourself “What is the cost of radiofrequency ablation in Turkey?”. The cost of radiofrequency ablation in Turkey depends on many factors such as how many follow-up examinations you had, how many preoperative tests you have undergone, your surgeon, the general anesthesia you received, and so on. Including all these, the cost of radiofrequency ablation in Turkey varies between $6500 and $7500.

Radiofrequency Ablation in Turkey Summary (Price, Duration Time, Hospitalization)

Operation Number	Depends on the effectiveness of the first treatment	Time to return to work	1-2 days
Operation Time	15 minutes-2 hours as it depends on the location of the therapy and the number of treatments administered	Recovery	6-12 months
Anaesthesia	General Anaesthesia	Persistence of Results	Temporary, 12+ months
Sensitivity Time	1-2 days	Hospital Stay	–
Price	From 6,500 EUR to 7,500 EUR