الفهرس 
ANATOMY OF THE FACET JOINTOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
CONCLUSION
Facet Arthritis causing chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is an increasingly controversial field. The diagnosis of Facetogenic pain is still deemed difficult by many physicians, and its pathophysiology, as well as its management are still not quite understood. from the available literature, we can conclude that Lumbo-sacral Facet Arthritis is attributed to a degenerative process affecting the facet joint, which is described as the articulation between the superior articular process of one vertebrae and the inferior articular process of a vertebrae above. This degenerative process is commonly attributed to the ‘wear-and-tear’ theory coming with age, highly comparative to the same degenerative process affecting any other joint.
Lumbar Facet Arthritis is best diagnosed on grounds of both clinical examination and radiological investigations, and it is relatively important to exclude discogenic causes and mixed pathology. There is a step-wise approach to the management of Lumbar Facet Arthritis that should not be ignored, which starts with conservative treatment, then minimally invasive procedures, and ending with major surgeries.
This Systematic Review-Meta Analysis was done to evaluate a novel technique, the Endoscopic Rhizotomy, as one of the minimally invasive procedures that is implemented in the management of Lumbar Facet Arthritis. All the available papers in literature describing this intervention from May 2000 to December 2020 were included.
Our Meta-Analysis concluded that Endoscopic Rhizotomy is a very safe procedure, with a very low complication rate. We also concluded that Endoscopic Rhizotomy significantly relieves Facetogenic CLBP, with up to 3 years of pain relief. The procedure improved the subjective and objective quality of the patients. With comparison to the traditional Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), Endoscopic Rhizotomy does not use radiation and allows direct visualization, in addition to being superior to RFA considering improving both pain and disability post-operative. It is considered a single day procedure, and the patient can return to work the 2nd day, fully-functioning. Without doubt, several factors, however, have to be taken into account when offering the patient such a procedure, as the presence of spinal deformities, instabilities, hypermobility, and the overall assessment of the patient’s condition.