Objective: To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of low-dose radiotherapy in refractory cases of trochanteritis.
Methods: We evaluated a total of 60 consecutive patients who received low-dose radiotherapy to achieve an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect for recurrent trochanteritis following scarce response to conventional therapy. All patients were evaluated at baseline (prior to radiotherapy) and at 1 and 4 months after radiotherapy and then yearly thereafter for pain assessment using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and to determine the administration of analgesic treatment.
Results: An improvement in the symptomatology was observed in 62% of the patients with a significant reduction in the VAS (8 ± 2 vs 4 ± 2; p < 0.0001), which was largely maintained until the second evaluation at 4 months. In the cases responding to radiotherapy, the probability of maintaining improvement beyond 24 months was 70%.
Conclusion: Low-dose anti-inflammatory radiation may be used in the treatment of the recurrent cases of relapse or no response of trochanteritis to conventional treatments, with a high probability of remission of pain. These preliminary results indicate the need for evaluating the use of radiotherapy in patients with trochanteritis refractory to conventional treatment in a long-term controlled study. Advances in knowledge: Radiotherapy provides effective analgesic treatment for patients refractory to standard treatment for trochanteritis.