Epidural Neuroplasty
When a disc in the neck or lower back herniates and compresses a nerve
Pain and numbness appear, and if left untreated the fingers, arms or legs may become paralyzed.
In the past, when disc disease developed, the available options carried no small risk of side effects
Surgery was the main option, but with continuing medical advances
Now 80~90% of patients can be treated with non-surgical methods such as epidural neuroplasty
The problem can be solved.
What is epidural neuroplasty?
For patients whose surgery was successful but whose pain persists because of inflammation or adhesions, and for patients who do not need surgery, this effective treatment uses the 'Racz catheter', a patented 2mm-diameter needle devised by Dr. Racz, one of the world's three leading spine authorities. It is called RACZ, or percutaneous 'epidural neuroplasty'.
'Epidural neuroplasty', widely performed around the world, is a non-surgical procedure in which a special medication is injected into the affected area to wash away the adhesions, swelling and inflammation around the nerve that are the underlying cause of the pain. The procedure is short and performed under local anesthesia, so it can be carried out safely even in elderly patients with chronic disease or weak immunity for whom surgery was not possible.
Indications for epidural neuroplasty
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Spinal stenosis
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Multilevel lesions
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Radiating leg pain from a chronic disc
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Suspected pain from post-surgical adhesion
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Degenerative disc patients not severe enough for surgery
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Patients whose cause of back pain remains unclear even on detailed MRI
Advantages of epidural neuroplasty
- 1
- Transforaminal neuroplasty reaches even deep lesions
- 2
- Effective for cervical conditions (cervical disc herniation, cervical spinal stenosis)
- 3
- Short procedure time of under 30 minutes
- 4
- Fast recovery allows going home the same day
- 5
- Can be repeated at any time
- 6
- Because no general anesthesia is used, it can be performed safely on elderly patients and those with hypertension or diabetes
Epidural neuroplasty procedure
- After local anesthesia, the lesion is located in real time with a C-arm image intensifier.
- A microcatheter (a needle 2 mm in diameter) is inserted through the tailbone, and special agents (a local anesthetic, enzyme agents, steroid drugs and hypertonic saline) are administered directly to the damaged area. This washes out the inflammatory substances at the lesion, dissolves scar tissue and adhesions, and reduces the swelling of the herniated disc and the nerve so that the disc heals and the spinal canal is widened for the nerve to pass through freely.
A hospital that operates well does non-surgical treatment better.
With extensive treatment experience and advanced medical technology, our medical team provides a diagnosis tailored to each patient and gives priority to non-surgical treatment.
Post-treatment precautions
- Treatment results and duration may vary depending on individual symptoms.
- Temporary side effects may occur after treatment and vary with each individual's condition.
