Pain physician
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Discogenic low back pain is a common cause of chronic low back pain that remains a treatment challenge. The innervation and transmission of nociceptive information from painful lumbar discs has only recently been better described. ⋯ Radiofrequency lesioning of the L2 ramus communicans seems to offer partial relief for patients suffering from discogenic pain. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.
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To assess whether unilateral L2 infiltration with local anesthetic can be used to identify patients who will have negative discograms and thus eliminate the need for the discogram. Discogenic low-back pain is considered to have afferent pathways in the sinuvertebral nerves, mainly originating from the ventral rami of the spinal nerves. There is evidence that pain arising from the lower lumbar intervertebral discs may be transmitted through the sympathetic afferent fibers contained in the L2 spinal nerve root. Provocative discography, within the context of other clinical data, is the current "gold standard" by which to diagnose discogenic low-back pain, but a far more invasive procedure than L2 infiltration. ⋯ The results showed that unilateral L2 infiltration is not predictive of discogenic low-back pain when compared to discography, the current "gold-standard" for diagnosis.
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Fluoroscopic guidance is frequently utilized in performing various types of interventional techniques. The major purpose of fluoroscopy is accurate needle placement to ensure target specificity and accurate delivery of the injected drug. However, radiation exposure may be associated with risks to physician, patient, and personnel. Multiple studies have evaluated the risk of radiation exposure and techniques to reduce the risk in private practice settings. However, the literature is scant in evaluating the risk of radiation exposure in teaching hospitals in university settings. ⋯ The results of this study show that the fluoroscopy exposure time for various interventional procedures performed in the university settings are significantly higher than the radiation exposure periods in private practice settings. This study also showed significant differences among physicians in the same university setting.