Publications by authors named "Nicole Billias"

Introduction: Lumbar medial branch (MB) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a common image-guided procedure to treat facetogenic low back pain. Recent anatomical literature has proposed a two-lesion RFA approach targeting the posterior portion of the lateral neck of superior articular process (SAP) and the superior aspect of the sub-mammillary fossa. The objectives of this report were to: 1) describe the novel lumbar MB RFA technique, 2) discuss the relevant anatomy, and 3) report pain relief outcomes in four patients who gave informed consent to be treated with the novel two-landmark lumbar MB RFA technique.

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Objective: The study's primary objective was to compare the effectiveness of intra-articular platelet-rich plasma injections versus corticosteroid injections for the treatment of cervical facetogenic pain. Secondary aims were to compare self-rated disability, pain self-efficacy, and the safety of the procedure between groups.

Methods: A single-site randomized double-blind controlled trial with 40 participants assigned to receive either leucocyte-poor, low-concentrate platelet-rich plasma injections or corticosteroid injection without local anesthetic into the cervical facet joint under fluoroscopy.

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Background: Lumbar medial branch (MB) radiofrequency ablation is a common intervention to treat facetogenic low back pain. The consensus among spine pain interventionalists is that capturing a greater length of the MB correlates with a longer duration of pain relief. Therefore, there has been interest in defining optimal needle angles to achieve parallel cannula placement.

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Objective: Lumbar medial branch (MB) radiofrequency ablation is a common intervention to treat facetogenic low back pain. Consensus among spine pain interventionalists is that the cannula tip should be placed adjacent to the periosteum of the lateral neck of the superior articular process (SAP) to ensure maximum contact with the MB. The spatial relationship of the nerve to the periosteum of the lateral neck of the SAP has not been quantified in 3D.

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Purpose: Injured workers can experience adverse effects from work injury and claims processes.Workers may be treated unfairly by employers, compensation boards, and return-to-work coordinators; however,how workers respond to these challenges is unknown. This article describes how injured precarious workersresponded behaviourally and emotionally to procedural unfairness in work injury and claims processes, and whatworkers did next.

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