• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.204-209
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• 2012

Objective : The authors performed a retrospective study to assess the accuracy and clinical benefits of a navigation coupled with O-arm$^{(R)}$ system guided method in the thoracic and lumbar spines by comparing with a C-arm fluoroscopy-guided method. Methods : Under the navigation guidance, 106 pedicle screws inserted from T7 to S1 in 24 patients, and using the fluoroscopy guidance, 204 pedicle screws from T5 to S1 in 45 patients. The position of screws within the pedicle was classified into four groups, from grade 0 (no violation cortex) to 3 (more than 4 mm violation). The location of violated pedicle cortex was also assessed. Intra-operative parameters including time required for preparation of screwing procedure, times for screwing and the number of X-ray shot were assessed in each group. Results : Grade 0 was observed in 186 (91.2%) screws of the fluoroscopy-guided group, and 99 (93.4%) of the navigation-guided group. Mean time required for inserting a screw was 3.8 minutes in the fluoroscopy-guided group, and 4.5 minutes in the navigation-guided group. Mean time required for preparation of screw placement was 4 minutes in the fluoroscopy-guided group, and 19 minutes in the navigation-guided group. The fluoroscopy-guided group required mean 8.9 times of X-ray shot for each screw placement. Conclusion : The screw placement under the navigation-guidance coupled with O-arm$^{(R)}$ system appears to be more accurate and safer than that under the fluoroscopy guidance, although the preparation and screwing time for the navigation-guided surgery is longer than that for the fluoroscopy-guided surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.59-61
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• 2017

We report a case of fluoroscopy-guided intraarticular steroid injection for sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) arthritis caused by limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc). A 50-year-old woman diagnosed with limited cutaneous SSc presented with swelling and pain in the right SCJ. MRI revealed signs of inflammation consistent with right-sided sternoclavicular joint arthritis. After the failure of oral medications, we performed fluoroscopy-guided injection in this region. She reported complete resolution of her symptoms at 4 and 12-week follow-ups. This outcome suggests that a fluoroscopy-guided SCJ injection might be a safe and successful treatment option for sternoclavicular joint arthritis.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2019

Background: In Korean medicine, carpal tunnel syndrome is treated by stimulating the acupoints around the wrist. Although a deep understanding of anatomy and guidance is needed to stimulate these acupoints to avoid undesirable side-effects, currently there are no published guidelines for acupotomy treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of fluoroscopy-guided acupotomy compared with conventional acupotomy treatment. Methods: This is a randomized, patient-assessor, patient blind, parallel clinical trial. A total of 30 patients will be enrolled at Wonkwang University Gwangju Hospital, and will be allocated to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group will be treated using fluoroscopy-guided acupotomy and the control group will be treated using the conventional acupotomy method. Results: The primary outcome measure will be identification of a cross-section area of the median nerve measured by ultrasonography, and the secondary outcome measure will be the alleviation of pain measured by the Visual Analogue Scale, improvement in the Nerve Conduction Study, Tinel test, Phalen's test, EuroQol 5-dimension scale, and Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire score. Safety components will be measured by monitoring vital signs, electrocardiographs, blood tests, general chemical tests, urine tests and pregnancy tests. In addition, observations for adverse effects will be performed during the trial. Conclusion: This study will provide a more effective, and less harmful way of treating carpal tunnel syndrome compared with conventional acupotomy. Fluoroscopy-guided acupotomy will help practitioners to be accurate in direction and depth of the needle for treating carpal tunnel syndrome.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.168-172
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• 2012

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of fluoroscopy-guided anterior approach for suprascapular nerve block (SSNB). Methods: Twenty patients with chronic shoulder pain were included in the study. All of the nerve blocks were performed with patients in a supine position. Fluoroscopy was tilted medially to obtain the best view of the scapular notch (medial angle) and caudally to put the base of coracoid process and scapular spine on same line (caudal angle). SSNB was performed by introducing a 100-mm, 21-gauge needle to the scapular notch with tunnel view technique. Following negative aspiration, 1.0 ml of contrast was injected to confirm the scapular notch, and 1 % mepivacaine 2 ml was slowly injected. The success of SSNB was assessed by numerical rating scale (NRS) before and after the block. Results: The average NRS was decreased from $4.8{\pm}0.6$ to $0.6{\pm}0.5$ after the procedure (P < 0.05). The best view of the scapular notch was obtained in a medial angle of $15.1{\pm}2.2$ ($11-19^{\circ}$) and a caudal angle of $15.4{\pm}1.7^{\circ}$ ($12-18^{\circ}$). The average distance from the skin to the scapular notch was $5.8{\pm}0.6$ cm. None of the complications such as pneumothorax, intravascular injection, and hematoma formation was found except one case of partial brachial plexus block. Conclusions: SSNB by fluoroscopy-guided anterior approach is a feasible technique. The advantage of using a fluoroscopy resulted in an effective block with a small dose of local anesthetics by an accurate placement of a tip of needle in the scapular notch while avoiding pneumothorax.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2021

The use of ultrasonography has recently been increasing in musculoskeletal diagnosis or intervention treatment. Ultrasound guided procedure offers a reliable alternative to fluoroscopy or computed tomography for lumbar medial branch block, facet joint block and peripheral nerves of lower extremity. Further, there is no exposure to radiation and additional equipment necessary for the protection against radiation is required. And ultrasound guided procedure needs smaller space than fluoroscopy guided procedure with real time images in the outpatient department. This article reviews ultrasound guided procedure at lumbar vertebra and peripheral nerves of lower extremity.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2024

The application of ultrasound (US) in pain medicine has been a rapidly growing field since the 2000s. Musculoskeletal injections, peripheral nerve blocks, and neuraxial injections under US guidance have been acknowledged for managing chronic pain. Although many studies on US-guided pain procedures have been published, there needs to be a classification system to evaluate which image device, the US or fluoroscopy, is clinically and technically better in various pain interventions. Therefore, this narrative review introduces the classification system for the US-guided pain procedures according to their clinical and technical outcomes and designates US-guided pain procedures into one of the four categories by reviewing previous prospective randomized comparative trials.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.419-422
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• 2010

Objective : To analyze the clinical outcomes of computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy-guided selective neve root block (SNRB) for severe arm pain caused by acute cervical disc herniation. Methods : The authors analyzed the data obtained from 25 consecutive patients who underwent CT fluoroscopy-guided SNRB for severe arm pain, i.e., a visual analogue scale (VAS) score of 8 points or more, caused by acute soft cervical disc herniation. Patients with chronic arm pain, motor weakness, and/or hard disc herniation were excluded. Results : The series comprised 19 men and 6 women whose mean age was 48.1 years (range 35-72 years). The mean symptom duration was 17.5 days (range 4-56 days) and the treated level was at C5-6 in 13 patients, C6-7 in 9, and both C5-6 and C6-7 in 3. Twenty-three patients underwent SNRB in 1 session and 2 underwent the procedure in 2 sessions. No complications related to the procedures occurred. At a mean follow-up duration of 11.5 months (range 6-22 months), the mean VAS score and NDI significantly improved from 9 and 58.2 to 3.4 and 28.1, respectively. Eighteen out of 25 patients (72%) showed successful clinical results. Seven patients (28%) did not improve after the procedure, and 5 of these 7 underwent subsequent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Conclusion : CT fluoroscopy-guided SNRB may play a role as a primary conservative treatment for severe arm pain caused by acute cervical disc herniation.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2020

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate radiation exposure to the eye and thyroid in pain physicians during the fluoroscopy-guided cervical epidural block (CEB). Methods: Two pain physicians (a fellow and a professor) who regularly performed C-arm fluoroscopy-guided CEBs were included. Seven dosimeters were used to measure radiation exposure, five of which were placed on the physician (forehead, inside and outside of the thyroid protector, and inside and outside of the lead apron) and two were used as controls. Patient age, sex, height, and weight were noted, as were radiation exposure time, absorbed radiation dose, and distance from the X-ray field center to the physician. Results: One hundred CEB procedures using C-arm fluoroscopy were performed on comparable patients. Only the distance from the X-ray field center to the physician was significantly different between the two physicians (fellow: 37.5 ± 2.1 cm, professor: 41.2 ± 3.6 cm, P = 0.03). The use of lead-based protection effectively decreased the absorbed radiation dose by up to 35%. Conclusions: Although there was no difference in radiation exposure between the professor and the fellow, there was a difference in the distance from the X-ray field during the CEBs. Further, radiation exposure can be minimized if proper protection (thyroid protector, leaded apron, and eyewear) is used, even if the distance between the X-ray beam and the pain physician is small. Damage from frequent, low-dose radiation exposure is not yet fully understood. Therefore, safety measures, including lead-based protection, should always be enforced.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.396-400
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• 2013

Conventional transcrural CPB via the "walking off" the vertebra technique may injure vital organs while attempting to proximally spread injectate around the celiac plexus. Therefore, we attempted the CT-simulated fluoroscopy-guided transdiscal approach to carry out transcrural CPB in a safer manner, spreading the injectate more completely and closely within the celiac plexus area. A 54-year-old male patient with pancreatic cancer suffered from severe epigastric pain. The conventional transcrural approach was simulated, but the needle pathway was impeded by the kidney on the right side and by the aorta on the left side. After simulating the transdiscal pathway through the T11-12 intervertebral disc, we predetermined the optimal insertion point (3.6 cm from the midline), insertion angle (18 degrees), and advancement plane, as well as the proper depth. With the transdiscal approach, we successfully performed transcrural CPB within a narrow angle, and the bilateral approach was not necessary as we were able to achieve the bilateral spread of the injectate with the single approach.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.237-247
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• 2020

Objective : Fixation of the C1-2 segment is challenging because of the complex anatomy in the region and the need for a high degree of accuracy to avoid complications. Preoperative 3D-computed tomography (CT) scans can help reduce the risk of complications in the vertebral artery, spinal cord, and nerve roots. However, the patient may be susceptible to injury if the patient's anatomy does not match the preoperative CT scans. The intraoperative 3D image-based navigation systems have reduced complications in instrument-assisted techniques due to greater accuracy. This study aimed to compare the radiologic outcomes of C1-2 fusion surgery between intraoperative CT image-guided operation and fluoroscopy-guided operation. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the radiologic images of 34 patients who underwent C1-2 fusion spine surgery from January 2009 to November 2018 at our hospital. We assessed 17 cases each of degenerative cervical disease and trauma in a study population of 18 males and 16 females. The mean age was 54.8 years. A total of 139 screws were used and the surgical procedures included 68 screws in the C1 lateral mass, 58 screws in C2 pedicle, nine screws in C2 lamina and C2 pars screws, four lateral mass screws in sub-axial level. Of the 34 patients, 19 patients underwent screw insertion using intraoperative mobile CT. Other patients underwent atlantoaxial fusion with a standard fluoroscopy-guided device. Results : A total of 139 screws were correctly positioned. We analyzed the positions of 135 screws except for the four screws that performed the lateral mass screws in C3 vertebra. Minor screw penetration was observed in seven cases (5.2%), and major pedicle screw penetration was observed in three cases (2.2%). In one case, the malposition of a C2 pedicle screw was confirmed, which was subsequently corrected. There were no complications regarding vertebral artery injury or onset of new neurologic deficits. The screw malposition rate was lower (5.3%) in patients who underwent intraoperative CT-based navigation than that for fluoroscopy-guided cases (10.2%). And we confirmed that the operation time can be significantly reduced by surgery using intraoperative O-arm device. Conclusion : Spinal navigation using intraoperative cone-beam CT scans is reliable for posterior fixation in unstable C1-2 pathologies and can be reduced the operative time.