Michael Gofeld, Thomas Tiennot, Eric Miller, Niv Rebhun, Stephen Mobley, Suzanne Leblang, Ron Aginsky, Arik Hananel, Jean-Francois Aubry
BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a common method for alleviating chronic back pain by targeting and ablating of facet joint sensory nerves. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is an emerging, non-invasive, image-guided technology capable of providing thermal tissue ablation. While HIFU shows promise as a potentially superior option for ablating sensory nerves, its efficacy needs validation and comparison with existing methods. METHODS: Nine adult pigs underwent fluoroscopy-guided HIFU ablation of eight lumbar medial branch nerves, with varying acoustic energy levels: 1000 (N=3), 1500 (N=3), or 2000 (N=3) joules (J)...
March 20, 2024: Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine