• Veronique Freire, Detlev Grabs, Marianne Lepage-Saucier, and Thomas P Moser.
• Department of Radiology, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada cyb_freire@yahoo.com.
• J Ultrasound Med. 2016 Jun 1; 35 (6): 1253-8.

ObjectivesTo evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound (US)-guided cervical facet injections and to identify the potential obstacles to routine use of this technique.MethodsAfter Institutional Review Board approval, 4 cadavers were used in this study. Age, sex, body mass index, and neck circumference were recorded. A total of 40 facet injections were performed from C2-C3 to C6-C7 under US guidance with radiodense colored latex. Visibility of cervical tissues and the needle was graded as complete, partial, or null (no injection was performed in this case). Frontal and lateral radiographs were taken, followed by cadaveric dissection to assess contrast and the latex distribution, which were recorded as intra-articular (success), peri-articular (success), or absent (failure). A 2-tailed Fisher exact test and Pearson χ(2)test were used to evaluate difference between success and failure rates for qualitative variables.ResultsSeventy-eight percent (31 of 40) of US-guided facet joint injections were successful. No statistically significant differences were found regarding body mass index, neck circumference, needle caliber, operators, and between left and right sides. All failures involved C2-C3 and C6-C7 levels, and this result was statistically significant (Pearson χ(2) = 20.645; P < .001).ConclusionsAlthough US-guided cervical facet joint injections are feasible, substantial obstacles may prevent their routine use. The main obstacle is to effectively identify and target the correct cervical level in a prone position.© 2016 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

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