Is There a Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Fluoroscopy Time During Cervical Interlaminar Epidural Steroid...

Area of Science:

• Pain Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Radiology

Background:

• Medical imaging challenges exist for patients with higher Body Mass Index (BMI).
• Limited data addresses the relationship between BMI and fluoroscopy time in cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injections (CIESI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between patient BMI and fluoroscopy duration during CIESI.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 366 patients undergoing fluoroscopically guided CIESI.
• Patients were categorized by BMI: normal (<25.0 kg/m²), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m²), and obese (≥30.0 kg/m²).
• Fluoroscopy times were compared across BMI groups using analysis of variance.

Main Results:

• Mean fluoroscopy time was 18±10 seconds across all procedures.
• Obese patients had significantly longer fluoroscopy times compared to overweight patients (P=0.02).
• BMI did not significantly affect fluoroscopy time for normal weight versus overweight or normal weight versus obese patients.

Conclusions:

• BMI does not appear to significantly influence fluoroscopy time in CIESI.
• Further research is warranted to quantify radiation exposure and health risks for patients and practitioners.