Endoscopically Guided Foraminal and Dorsal Rhizotomy for Chronic Axial Back Pain Based on Cadaver and Endoscopically Visualized Anatomic Study

Abstract

Endoscopically guided facet rhizotomy provides more consistent ablation of the medial and lateral branches of the lumbar dorsal ramus compared to radiographically guided pulsed radiofrequency. The variations in the location of facet innervation can explain the variability of clinical results in fluoroscopically guided RF lesioning. This observation dictates a need for visually guided MIS procedure for best results.