Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Laminotomy for Lumbar Dorsal Root Ganglion Access and Injection in Swine
Published on: October 10, 2017
Penetration of a cervical radicular artery during a transforaminal epidural injection
Paul Verrills1, Gillian Nowesenitz, Adele Barnard
1Metro Spinal Clinic, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Background:
Inadvertent cannulation or penetration of the cervical radicular arteries during cervical transformaminal epidural injections (TFESIs) is a serious clinical risk, and purportedly, the cause of possible spinal cord injury sustained during this procedure.
Case:
Here, we present a case of inadvertent intravascular penetration of a cervical radicular artery during a C5-6 TFESI and demonstrate the best image capture to date of direct ramification of a cervical radicular artery into the anterior spinal artery.
Conclusion:
This observation reinforces the need for contrast injection and real-time digital subtraction fluoroscopy during cervical TFESIs for the prevention of spinal cord injury and fatalities.
Related Concept Videos
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Herniated Intervertebral Disc l: Introduction
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Spinal Anesthesia
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Intravenous Regional Anesthesia
One of the advantages of...
