• Jung Wook Park, Min Woo Cheon, and Min Hong Lee.
• Topteam Rehabilitation Clinic, Gwangju, Korea.
• Ann Rehabil Med. 2016 Aug 1; 40 (4): 575-82.

ObjectiveTo compare the visibility and procedural parameters between a standard spinal needle and a new laser-etched needle (LEN) in real-time ultrasonography guided lumbar medial branch access in a phantom of the lumbosacral spine.MethodsWe conducted a prospective single-blinded observational study at a rehabilitation medicine center. A new model of LEN was manufactured with a standard 22-gauge spinal needle and a laser etching machine. Thirty-two inexperienced polyclinic medical students performed ultrasonography-guided lumbar medial branch access using both a standard spinal needle and a LEN with scanning protocol. The outcomes included needle visibility score, needle elapsed time, first-pass success rate, and number of needle sticks.ResultsThe LEN received significantly better visibility scores and shorter needle elapsed time compared to the standard spinal needle. First-pass success rate and the number of needle sticks were not significantly different between needles.ConclusionA new LEN is expected to offer better visibility and enable inexperienced users to perform an ultrasonography-guided lumbar medial branch block more quickly. However, further study of variables may be necessary for clinical application.

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