Essential Clinical Tips about Ultrasound Guided Cervical Intervention

ABSTRACT

This report suggests indications, detailed procedures, clinical efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US) guided cervical interventions, such as selective nerve root block (SNRB), medical branch block (MBB), facet joint intra-articular (FJIA) injection, third occipital nerve (TON) block and greater occipital nerve (GON) block. Comparing with fluoroscopy guided transforaminal and interlaminar epidural blocks, US guided cervical interventions have similar clinical effects and superior safety. For cervical axial pain and cervicogenic headache US guided MBB or FJIA injection can be performed. Usual targets of injection are upper cervical (C2–3) for cervicogenic headache and lower cervical (C5–6) for axial neck pain. Clinical effect of US guided MBB is reported to be similar to fluoroscopy guided MBB. Instead of upper cervical (C2–3) facet joint injection, TON block is usually performed. The accuracy of US guided TON block and MBB is reported as high with confirmation of fluoroscopy. GON block can be performed for occipital neuralgia, migraine, chronic daily headache, etc. US guided GON block is much safe and supposed to be highly accurate compared with blind technique. Ultrasonography guided cervical interventions are effective to reduce pain and most of all safe procedure. We need to use ultrasonography guided intervention actively in the field of clinic.