Spinal Intervention/Interventional Pain Management

Percutaneous Vertebral Augmentation

Percutaneous Vertebral Augmentation (PVA) is a minimally invasive procedure to augment a vertebra which has been damaged by osteoporosis or spine injury. There are two types of PVA, kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.

Vertebroplasty

Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a relatively new minimally invasive procedure used to treat compression fractures. Under the guidance of an RP Eagle radiologist, the physician injects a cement-like mixture into the vertebra. Percutaneous vertebroplasty may be preferred for osteoporosis patients because of their already brittle bones.

Kyphoplasty

Percutaneous kyphoplasty is performed through a spall incision in the back. It is a two-step process which begins by inserting a balloon device into a compacted vertebrae to attempt to restore the vertebrae to a more normal shape. Then, cement-like material is injected into the space created by the balloon to retain the correction. By restoring the vertebrae to a more normal state, alignment of the spine may be improved and pain alleviated.

Image Guided Pain Management

Pain management is delivered efficiently and effectively RP Eagle’s precise percutaneous techniques. Computed tomography (CT) guidance allows exact needle positioning, reduced complications and superior results. With these techniques, the radiologist is able to play an active role in pain management and improved quality of life.

Cervical, Thoracic & Lumbar Steroid Injection

Cervical, thoracic and lumbar steroid injections deliver pain relief in about 50 percent of patients. Steroid injections reduce the inflammation of irritated nerves which are often the source back pain, leg pain, or other pain. An epidural steroid injection works by delivering steroids directly to the painful area to help decrease the inflammation. In addition to relieving pain, a steroid injection may also flush out inflammatory proteins from around the painful structures. The process of natural healing can occur more quickly once the inflammation is reduced.

Facet Injection / Aspiration

Facet injection is a treatment for pain at one of the joints of the spine. Medication is injected into the facet joint to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling. Facet injections may also diagnose the cause or location of back or neck pain. Facet aspiration is the process of removing fluid from the facet joint. Draining fluid can provide pain relieve and increased mobility.

Selective Nerve Root Block

Selective nerve root block is primarily used to identify the specific source of nerve root pain. When a nerve root becomes inflamed it can cause tremendous back and leg pain. The selective nerve root block process isolates the source of the pain.

Lumbar & Thoracic Discography

Lumbar and thoracic discography is the process of injecting a sterile liquid into spinal discs in order to identify the source of back or neck pain. MRI and CT scans can help physicians identify if the disc itself is the part of the problem.