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Basivertebral Nerve Ablation in a Patient With Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report
Abhinav Gupta1, Edmund Posadas1, Brooke Towne1
1Department Anesthesiology, Center for Pain, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
Background:
Lower back pain is a symptom of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), stemming from arthritic changes within the sacroiliac joints, lumbar facet joints, and between the vertebral bodies. Most commonly, interventional techniques targeting the sacroiliac or facet joints have been used to mitigate AS-related pain.
Case Report:
In this case report, we describe a patient with AS and axial lower back pain who experienced insufficient and temporary relief with these first-line procedures. Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed degenerative changes to vertebral endplates suggesting a vertebrogenic cause for his pain. We proceeded with basivertebral nerve ablation for this patient, which resulted in superior and enduring pain relief.
Conclusions:
This is the first published report of basivertebral nerve ablation in a patient with AS that we know of. We demonstrate the potential for basivertebral nerve ablation to alleviate axial lower back pain for patients with AS who have vertebrogenic changes on MRI.
