The following is a summary of “Efficacy of Lateral View Needle Placement for Sacroiliac Joint Injections,” published in the February 2024 issue of Pain by Johansen et al.
Researchers concluded a retrospective study to assess the value of adding a lateral view to standard fluoroscopy during Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) injections for improved evaluation of SIJ disease, considering the limitations of solely relying on anteroposterior (AP) views.
They involved 38 patients who underwent fluoroscopy-guided SIJ injection, with the MetroWest Medical Center Institutional Review Board granting IRB approval. Patient demographics (age, gender, BMI) and pre-and post-operative numerical rating scale (NRS) scores were gathered, along with an assessment of initial needle placement. Patients were grouped by needle position and statistically analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U-test (P<0.05).
The results showed 21 females and 17 males with a mean age of 70.5 years and a BMI of 27.8 kg/m 2, respectively. Thirty-one patients had initial intraarticular needle placement confirmed with lateral arthrogram, while seven patients had initial periarticular needle placement, necessitating needle readjustment in lateral confirmatory view. Both groups had similar demographic characteristics, and no statistically significant differences were observed in the mean NRS score improvement between the two groups (P=0.108).
Investigators concluded that adding a lateral view to needle placement significantly reduced miss rates from 20% to nearly 0%. However, pain relief remained similar, highlighting the importance of accuracy for diagnosis and future treatment.
