ACR Challenges Recent Publications Against Interventional Spine Procedures

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) and 34 medical specialty societies that use or perform interventional pain and spine procedures responded to a systematic review/network meta-analysis, clinical practice guideline, and editorial piece released by the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) that inappropriately recommends against all injections and most radiofrequency neurotomy procedures for chronic back and neck pain. Our societies are concerned about the methodology and conclusions drawn in these publications and their potential impact on patient care.

The College and specialty societies urge the BMJ to retract the guideline publication. Researchers, clinicians and policymakers must recognize the complexity of chronic spine pain and support expanded research and ongoing access to interventional procedures underpinned by rigorous clinical standards. Additional recommendations and policy implications are also outlined in our response.

The statement was submitted for publication in the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) journal, Interventional Pain Medicine (IPM).

For more information or if you have questions, contact Alicia Blakey, ACR Principal Economic Policy Analyst.