Anne Allen

For some time now, C-arm fluoroscopy-guided spinal injections have been performed widely for both the diagnosis and management of spinal and paraspinal pain. Despite this common use, many residents and pain fellows do not receive formal training in the anatomy of the vertebral column as it relates to radiographic imaging, nor do they receive any training in fluoroscopic imaging. While books do exist on the subject, they only show the final needle position for spinal injections, and offer very limited instruction.

The Handbook of C-Arm Fluoroscopy-Guided Spinal Injections provides residents and fellows with a handbook that illustrates spinal injections in a step-by step fashion, while also describing fluoroscopic imaging and spinal anatomy as they relate to spinal injections, including the manipulation of the C-arm fluoroscope that is required in order to obtain ideal images for the performance of injections.

Based on a lengthy study of the relationships between skeletal models, the matching fluoroscopic image, and the desired needle placement in the cervical, lumbar, and sacral spinal regions, the text recreates those images that effectively demonstrate the relationships between the angle of the x-ray beam and the spinal column. Those chapters describing the fluoroscopic imaging of the cervical, lumbar, and sacral spine, provide details on how the trainee would go about obtaining the views needed to approach the spine in a safe and effective manor at each level.

The book also provides comprehensive information on performing stellate and lumbar sympathetic injections using fluoroscopy, taking readers through step-by-step approaches to each of the sympathetic blocks, while offering insights into how to ascertain the correct needle position at each level.

Simply and succinctly written, The Handbook of C-Arm Fluoroscopy-Guided Spinal Injections provides the field of pain management with a useful teaching aide for residents and fellows striving to improve their skills in the performance of spinal injections.


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