Therapeutic Effect of Medical Ozone on Lumbar Disc Herniation
Niu T, Lv C, Yi G, et al. Medical Science Monitor, 2018.
- Study type
- Randomized controlled trial
- People studied
- 80 people
- Population
- Patients with trauma-induced lumbar disc herniation
- Published
- 2018, Medical Science Monitor
- Identifiers
- PMID 29611536, DOI 10.12659/msm.903243
What the authors reported
In 80 patients randomized to control or low, medium (40 ug/mL), or high (60 ug/mL) concentrations of medical ozone, the medium concentration produced the greatest disc retraction and reduced inflammatory markers, while the highest concentration increased inflammatory marker expression instead of reducing it.
What limits this result
Single-center trial; the abstract does not describe blinding; biochemical and imaging surrogate endpoints are emphasized alongside clinical pain scores.
Other ozone methods, such as major autohemotherapy, that clinics cite in support of EBO2. A result for one method does not transfer automatically to another. One study rarely settles a medical question; our guides weigh each paper against the rest of the evidence.
How the study was done
- Design
- Patients randomly divided into 4 groups, with 20 in each group
- Setting
- Department of Spine Surgery, Jining First People's Hospital, Jining, Shandong, China (mainland)
- Read from
- Read from the full text of the paper. Read on September 28, 2026.
Study arms
| Group | Participants | What they received |
|---|---|---|
| Group A (control) | Not reported | Conventional drug treatment without any other intervention |
| Group B (low ozone) | Not reported | Medical ozone injection at 20 μg/ml, by CT-guided puncture of the intervertebral discs |
| Group C (medium ozone) | Not reported | Medical ozone injection at 40 μg/ml, by CT-guided puncture of the intervertebral discs |
| Group D (high ozone) | Not reported | Medical ozone injection at 60 μg/ml, by CT-guided puncture of the intervertebral discs |
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
Procedure as reported
- Ozone concentration
- 20 μg/ml (Group B), 40 μg/ml (Group C), 60 μg/ml (Group D)
The medical ozone injection (20 μg/ml in Group B, 40 μg/ml in Group C, and 60 μg/ml in Group D) was performed by CT-guided puncture of the intervertebral discs.
In the paper's own units, not converted.
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
What it measured
- Disc retraction on CT scan at 6- and 12-month follow-up
- All patients showed disc retraction; the medium ozone (40 μg/ml) group showed the greatest disc retraction rate
- IL-6, IgM, IgG, VAS and SOD activity over time (upon admission, 6 and 12 months)
- IL-6, IgM, IgG, and VAS levels significantly decreased while SOD activity increased among all groups over time (p<0.05)
- Area under the ROC curve (AUC) of IL-6, IgG, IgM and SOD, and efficacy (abstract)
- AUC values closest to 1 in the medium ozone (40 μg/ml) group compared with other groups (p<0.01); efficacy 35% at 6 months and 85% at 12 months
The AUCIL-6, AUCIgG, AUCIgM, and AUCSOD was closest to 1 in the medium medical ozone (40 μg/ml) group compared with other groups (p<0.01), with the highest efficacy at 6 (35%) and 12 (85%) months during follow-up.
- AUC of IL-6, IgG, IgM and SOD by group (results section)
- AUC values closest to 1 in Group B compared with other groups (p<0.01), indicating the highest efficacy
- Treatment efficiency, Group A (control) and Group B (20 μg/ml)
- Group A 15% (3/20) at 6 months and 60% (12/20) at 12 months; Group B 20% (4/20) at 6 months and 70% (14/20) at 12 months
- Treatment efficiency, Group C (40 μg/ml) and Group D (60 μg/ml)
- Group C 35% (7/20) at 6 months and 85% (17/20) at 12 months; Group D 10% (2/20) at 6 months and 55% (11/20) at 12 months
- Serum IL-6 compared with the control group (Group A)
- Levels in groups B and C decreased, but they increased in group D (P<0.05)
- VAS pain score compared with Group A
- Scores in Groups B and C decreased, but they increased in group D (P<0.05)
Follow-up
Measured upon admission and at 6 and 12 months after follow-upThe CT scan and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect IL-6 level, SOD activity, IgM, and IgG levels upon admission and at 6 and 12 months after follow-up.
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Funding and conflicts
Source of support: departmental sources; conflict of interest: none
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
Where we cite this study
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