Prior to the emergence of ultrasound as a guidance tool, standard of care for cervical degenerative disc disease and radicular pain was typically either facet injections or epidural steroid injections under fluoroscopic guidance,” says Dr. David Rosenblum, an interventional pain physician and anesthesiologist who practices in New York. 

He fortuitously discovered the effectiveness of ultrasound guidance while he was setting up his new pain practice and was without X-ray for three months.   

I learned that with the ultrasound I can target the extra foraminal nerves as they leave the spine as well as the nerves to the facets as well as the facet joints and give long-term relief to my patients. The Clarius unit has enabled me to see the nerve as it exits to the spine and put my needle adjacent to that nerve to deposit the local anesthetic and steroid,” he explains.  

With an X-ray-guided epidural, the needle is coming within millimeters of the spinal cord. With an ultrasound-guided selective nerve root block, you could target the nerve in question, and even though the problem is central, many patients will get relief. The beautiful thing about ultrasound is you see the needle and you see the medication and you see how it spreads within the tissue. It’s like contrast, but even better, you’re seeing it encircle the nerve in question, go above, below, around it and you can see if it’s not adequate and then you can move your needle and get to the right spot. So, it’s really, in my opinion, superior to x-ray guidance for many things.  

Dr. Rosenblum estimates that at least 90% of his patients do not need epidurals or surgical consults after his ultrasound-guided pain treatments, which he performs using the Clarius linear wireless ultrasound scanner. He has become an avid user of Clarius Voice Control, which enables him to control his scanner hands-free during procedures.  

When I’m doing a cervical spine injection, the ability just to say Color mode and then the Doppler appears and I can visualize the blood vessels, which may or may not be near the nerves I’m targeting, that’s a huge benefit. In the neck the nerves look like blood vessels without Doppler. So, when you could just say color mode and then go back to B mode, with just a quick voice command, it’s amazing. It creates a safer environment, and I believe a better outcome for the patient.” 

Watch this 5-minute video to learn more about Dr. Rosenblum’s experience with Clarius ultrasound. 

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Visualize Your Needle in High-definition for Safe and Precise Pain Medicine Procedures

Dr. Rosenblum uses Clarius wireless handheld ultrasound at his clinic. Recognized for the best imaging quality among handheld systems, Clarius HD₃ is highly affordable, easy to learn and use. With clear nerve and musculoskeletal imaging, watch your needle hit the target. Visit our Pain Management specialty page to learn more. A Clarius expert is available to provide a custom virtual demonstration. Contact us to schedule a demo at your convenience.