Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy

Martin Estefan  1 , Valentin Estefan
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy

Martin Estefan et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Low back pain (LBP) is a very common and disabling disorder. Many causes of low back pain differ depending on the patient population; mechanical conditions are the most common ones, including facet joint disease, discogenic pain, spinal stenosis, disc herniations, and spondylolysis. Discogenic pain accounts for 30 to 40% of patients with LBP, and multiple interventional therapies have been developed to treat this condition.

Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) is a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedure for the treatment of discogenic chronic low back pain. The technique involves applying heat to the annulus fibrosus through a catheter with a temperature-controlled thermal resistive heating coil. The goal of thermal disc treatment is to damage the nerve fibers, shrink collagen, and stiffen the disc tissue; this might seal any small tears and limit the expression of matrix components.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Martin Estefan declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Valentin Estefan declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Helm Ii S, Simopoulos TT, Stojanovic M, Abdi S, El Terany MA. Effectiveness of Thermal Annular Procedures in Treating Discogenic Low Back Pain. Pain Physician. 2017 Sep;20(6):447-470. - PubMed
    1. Derby R, Baker RM, Lee CH, Anderson PA. Evidence-informed management of chronic low back pain with intradiscal electrothermal therapy. Spine J. 2008 Jan-Feb;8(1):80-95. - PubMed
    1. Peng B, Wu W, Hou S, Li P, Zhang C, Yang Y. The pathogenesis of discogenic low back pain. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2005 Jan;87(1):62-7. - PubMed
    1. Antonacci MD, Mody DR, Heggeness MH. Innervation of the human vertebral body: a histologic study. J Spinal Disord. 1998 Dec;11(6):526-31. - PubMed
    1. Kloth DS, Fenton DS, Andersson GB, Block JE. Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) for the treatment of discogenic low back pain: patient selection and indications for use. Pain Physician. 2008 Sep-Oct;11(5):659-68. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources