Abstract
The goal of a lumbar percutaneous facet denervation procedure is to block the medial branch of the dorsal ramus of the spinal nerve (Fig. 47.1). When the dorsal and ventral roots come together, the spinal nerve is formed, which splits up into a ventral and a dorsal ramus [1]. This dorsal ramus divides into a medial and a lateral ramus (=branch). The dorsal or posterior ramus supplies the so-called dorsal compartment of the back, which consists of structures of the back situated behind the intervertebral foramen. This dorsal compartment contains muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and the facet joints. The facet or zygapophyseal joints are joints between the inferior articular process of a vertebra and the superior articular process of the vertebra below. Lumbar facet joints are small joints located in pairs on the back of the spine, providing stability and guide motion in the lower back. These joints at the dorsal side of the spine form together with the intervertebral disc at the ventral side, the three moving parts of a motion segment.
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Stolker, R.J., van Suijlekom, H., van Zundert, A., Groen, G. (2015). Lumbar Percutaneous Facet Denervation. In: Regional Nerve Blocks in Anesthesia and Pain Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05131-4_47
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05131-4_47
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