Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for cervical spine (facet) joint pain from a multispecialty international working group.

Background: The past two decades have witnessed a surge in the use of cervical spine joint procedures including joint injections, nerve blocks and radiofrequency ablation to treat chronic neck pain, yet many aspects of the procedures remain controversial.

Methods: In August 2020, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and the American Academy of Pain Medicine approved and charged the Cervical Joint Working Group to develop neck pain guidelines. Eighteen stakeholder societies were identified, and formal request-for-participation and member nomination letters were sent to those organizations.

Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for cervical spine (facet) joint pain from a multispecialty international working group.

Background: The past two decades have witnessed a surge in the use of cervical spine joint procedures including joint injections, nerve blocks and radiofrequency ablation to treat chronic neck pain, yet many aspects of the procedures remain controversial.

Methods: In August 2020, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and the American Academy of Pain Medicine approved and charged the Cervical Joint Working Group to develop neck pain guidelines. Eighteen stakeholder societies were identified, and formal request-for-participation and member nomination letters were sent to those organizations.

The Diagnostic Value of an X-ray-based Scoring System for Degeneration of the Cervical Spine: A Reproducibility and Validation Study.

Background: In interventional pain medicine, cervical facet joint (CFJ) pain is commonly treated with CFJ denervation techniques, almost automatically assuming degeneration of the CFJs as an important cause of CFJ pain. A standard cervical X-ray is still commonly used in the clinical evaluation of patients suspected for CFJ degeneration. Although degenerative features can be visualized by different radiological imaging techniques, the relation between radiological degenerative features of the cervical spine and pain remains controversial.

Efficacy and Long-term Effect of Radiofrequency Denervation in Patients with Clinically Diagnosed Cervical Facet Joint Pain: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study Design: Multicenter double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of radiofrequency (RF) denervation of the cervical facet joints in chronic cervical facet joint pain.

Summary Of Background Data: One randomized controlled trial showed efficacy of RF denervation in whiplash-associated disease.

A Modified Posterolateral Approach for Radiofrequency Denervation of the Medial Branch of the Cervical Segmental Nerve in Cervical Facet Joint Pain Based on Anatomical Considerations.

The cervical facet joints, also called the zygapophyseal joints, are a potential source of neck pain (cervical facet joint pain). The cervical facet joints are innervated by the cervical medial branches (CMBs) of the cervical segmental nerves. Cervical facet joint pain has been shown to respond to multisegmental radiofrequency denervation of the cervical medial branches.

Ultrasonography of the cervical spine: an in vitro anatomical validation model.

Background: Anatomical validation studies of cervical ultrasound images are sparse. Validation is crucial to ensure accurate interpretation of cervical ultrasound images and to develop standardized reliable ultrasound procedures to identify cervical anatomical structures. The aim of this study was to acquire validated ultrasound images of cervical bony structures and to develop a reliable method to detect and count the cervical segmental levels.

Long-term follow-up of cervical facet medial branch radiofrequency treatment with the single posterior-lateral approach: an exploratory study.

Background: Over 50% of patients presenting to pain clinic with neck pain have the cervical facet joints as the source of pain. Radiofrequency (RF) treatment of the medial branch, innervating the facet joint, is a therapeutic option. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the therapeutic effect and its duration of RF treatment, using the single posterior-lateral approach in patients suffering from facet joint degeneration and to identify predictors for a long-term effect.

Validation of the Dutch version of the DN4 diagnostic questionnaire for neuropathic pain.

Difficulties in diagnosing neuropathic pain in routine clinical practice support the need for validated and easy-to-use diagnostic tools. The DN4 neuropathic pain diagnostic questionnaire aims to discriminate neuropathic pain from nociceptive pain, but needs clinical validation. A total of 269 patients with chronic pain in three pain clinics were included in the study of which 248 had analyzable data.

5. Cervical facet pain.

More than 50% of patients presenting to a pain clinic with neck pain may suffer from facet-related pain. The most common symptom is unilateral pain without radiation to the arm. Rotation and retroflexion are frequently painful or limited.

Radiofrequency and pulsed radiofrequency treatment of chronic pain syndromes: the available evidence.

There are currently 6 reviews on (pulsed) radiofrequency (RF) for the management of spinal pain. Two reviews on interventional pain management techniques in general also discuss RF. The outcomes of those reviews depend on the type of studies included and the opinion of the reviewers, which may result in different evidence levels.

Continuous positive airway pressure breathing increases cranial spread of sensory blockade after cervicothoracic epidural injection of lidocaine.

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) increases the caudad spread of sensory blockade after low-thoracic epidural injection of lidocaine. We hypothesized that CPAP would increase cephalad spread of blockade after cervicothoracic epidural injection.

Methods: Twenty patients with an epidural catheter at the C6-7 or C7-T1 interspace received an epidural dose of lidocaine while breathing at ambient pressure (control group), or while breathing with 7.