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To compare the costs of CT- and MR-guided lumbosacral nerve root infiltration for minimally invasive treatment of low back pain and radicular pain.

Ninety patients (54 men, 36 women; mean age, 45.5 ± 12.8 years) underwent MR-guided single-site periradicular lumbosacral nerve root infiltration with 40 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. A further 91 patients (48 men, 43 women; mean age, 59.1 ± 13.8 years) were treated under CT fluoroscopy guidance. Prorated costs of equipment use (purchase, depreciation and maintenance), staff costs based on involvement times and expenditure for disposables were identified for MR- and CT-guided procedures.

Mean intervention time was 20.6 min (14–30 min) for MR-guided and 14.3 min (7–32 min) for CT-guided treatment. The average total costs …