Cervical Nerve Root Block Using a Curved Blunt Needle and Posterior Approach

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Neurology
• Interventional Pain Procedures

Background:

• Cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections are declining due to severe complication risks.
• Cervical nerve root blocks are valuable for surgical planning in cervical radicular pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a safer method for cervical selective nerve root blocks.
• To eliminate the risk of catastrophic complications associated with these procedures.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case review of 50 consecutive patients at an academic multidisciplinary spine center.
• Utilized a posterior approach with a curved blunt needle for cervical selective nerve root blocks.
• Assessed outcomes using immediate pain scores, follow-up results, quantitative pain severity, and qualitative responses.

Main Results:

• The technique demonstrated a high immediate analgesic effect, suitable for diagnostic purposes.
• A prolonged response rate of approximately 50% was observed, comparable to existing methods.
• The study did not determine the prognostic value of this technique for surgical outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Cervical selective nerve root blocks with a posterior approach and curved blunt needle are effective for identifying symptomatic nerves.
• This method minimizes risks of arterial injection and spinal cord impingement, potentially offering greater safety than transforaminal approaches.