Telethermographic assessment of the efficacy of oxygen-ozone therapy in disc-root compression

Telethermography is a diagnostic technique used to relieve pain in studying the autonomic nervous system. The method allows real time measurement of skin temperature in different areas of the body, which reflects the status of the sympathetic nervous system. In particular a "cold" image is produced in diseases causing orthosympathetic hyperactivity and a "warm" image when parasympathetic activity prevails. We tested 25 patients with a diagnosis of lumbar pain and sciatica caused by root compression by herniated lumbar disc. Patients underwent telethermography of the legs before and after ozone therapy for pain relief Before treatment, all patients presented an asymmetric thermal pattern in the lower limbs consisting of hypothemia (more than 0.5 degreesC compared with the controlateral limb) in the skin area corresponding to the compressed root innervation and hypothermia at lummosacral level corresponding to the disc space involved. Patients received oxygen-ozone therapy (20 twice weekly sittings) with bilateral paraspinal injection of 12 cc of O-2-O-3 mixture at 20 mug/ml. After treatment, patients were reassessed by telethermography and CT scan of the lumbosacral spine. There was a close correlation between clinical outcome and neuroradiological findings (in 19 patients with a favourable outcome) and a disappearance of the thermal asymmetry disclosed by telethermography. The six patients presenting clinical and neurological features of only partial benefit from ozone therapy also had telethermographic evidence of partially reduced skin hypothermia.