英文摘要 |
Lumbar facet joint injection has been a common technique for treatment of facet joint syndrome, but its therapeutic role depends on a reliable injection technique. In the standard fluoroscopy-guided method, an oblique placement of torso to the X-ray beam and confirmation of needle position by contrast-media arthrogram are necessary. However, we have shown that inward growth of osteophyte in degenerative facets often covered the inlet opening and obstructed the needle insertion into the capsule. We also demonstrated that small amount of Arthrogram air (0.5 ml), compared to the contrast medium, could better delineate the entire facet joint structures (joint space and capsule) under computed tomography (CT) and allowed repeated injections to the same joint for correct placement. This investigation indicated that intra-articular injection under CT guidance has the advantages over conventional fluoroscopic method in having better visualization of the articular planes, more accurate orientation of the needle pathway, the benefit of air arthrogram, and increased success rate. |