An overview of interventional spinal techniques

The use of interventional techniques to treat spine-related pain syndromes is becoming more common in the United States and abroad. This growth is related to several factors, including improved patient awareness, education of referring physicians, improved training of interventional pain specialists, and advances in equipment and technology. The spectrum of interventional techniques ranges from simple trigger-point injections to implantation of sophisticated devices to modulate the nervous system. The challenges of treating these patients involve the need to make a diagnosis, the choice of an appropriate technique, and the performance of that technique in an acceptable manner. The pain specialist should also be able to recognize the complications of these techniques and make good decisions in responding to adverse outcomes. Several chapters would be required to comprehensively cover interventional techniques for the treatment of pain of spinal origin. It is the objective of this article to cover the most commonly performed procedures in regard to the patient selection, procedure selection, techniques, and complication management.