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Lumbar Medial Branch Block and Radiofrequency Ablation

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Interventional Pain

Abstract

Lumbar medial branch diagnostic injection and radiofrequency ablation are commonly performed for chronic lumbar facet-related back pain. This chapter provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform this intervention safely and shows all the relevant C-arm and needle positions that need to be demonstrated during the Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) exam administered by the World Institute of Pain (WIP). Both native and edited high-quality images are included, so the fluoroscopy anatomy is more easily understood.

Possible complications of the procedures and common reasons for failure at the FIPP exam are also outlined. Evidence for the procedure is provided based on the available literature reviewed by the Benelux section of WIP and also by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP).

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Suggested Reading

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Correspondence to Sandra A. S. van den Heuvel .

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The Lumbar Medial Branch and RFA chapter was reviewed by Athmaja Thottungal; Harvey Finkelstein; Alan Berkman; Amit Gulati; Andrea M. Trescot; Milan Stojanovic; Peter S. Staats; Agnes R. Stogicza; Andre M. Mansano; Athmaja Thottungal and Raja Reddy.

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van den Heuvel, S.A.S., Vivian, D.G., Verrills, P. (2020). Lumbar Medial Branch Block and Radiofrequency Ablation. In: Stogicza, A.R., Mansano, A.M., Trescot, A.M., Staats, P.S. (eds) Interventional Pain . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31741-6_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31741-6_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-31740-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-31741-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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