Spinal intervention service

Our Spinal Intervention Service is a regional tertiary referral site for patients requiring more complex spinal intervention.

These procedures are carried out on a recently installed single plane fluoroscopy unit.

It has highly advanced imaging features to give the neuroradiologist the clearest pictures possible of the spinal anatomy.

Nerve root injections (both cervical and lumbar injections)

Root block information leaflet (146.84kB PDF)

You have sciatica in the leg or brachialgia in the arm caused by a trapped nerve in the back or neck.

The cause of the trapped nerve can be due to a narrowed exit hole (foraminal stenosis), slipped disc, or by a slipped back bone (spondylolisthesis).

The aim of a nerve root injection is to give local anaesthetic and a long acting steroid close to the nerve root as it leaves the spine. This produces an anti-inflammatory effect and can relieve the arm or leg pain.

Nerve root injections can be used in two ways:

as a diagnostic tool to confirm whether the trapped nerve root is the cause of the limb pain.
as a treatment for the pain repeated as necessary

Facet joint and medial nerve injections patient information (148.79kB PDF)

You have pain in the back, leg or arm possibly caused by wear and tear in the facet joints in the spine. Injecting the facet joint can help relieve the pain.

The aim of a facet joint injection is to give local anaesthetic and a long acting steroid close to the nerve root as it leaves the spine. This produces an anti-inflammatory effect and can relieve the arm or leg pain.

Facet joint injections can be used in two ways:

as a diagnostic tool to confirm whether the facet joint is the cause of the limb pain.
as a treatment for the pain, repeated as necessary

Discograms

Discograms patient information leaflet (145.82kB PDF)

The procedure known as a ‘discogram’ will hopefully help diagnose the source of the back pain you have been experiencing.

The technique used will examine the structure of the discs and vertebrae to discover if there is a problem that may be causing you pain.

Myelogram

Myelogram patient information leaflet (143.92kB PDF)

A myelogram is a diagnostic imaging procedure done by a radiologist. It uses a contrast dye and X-rays or computed tomography (CT) to look for problems in the spinal canal, including the spinal cord, nerve roots, and other tissues. It is also known as myelography.