• Fernando Padilla-Lichtenberger, Tomás Saavedra-Azcona, Nestor Taboada, Federico Landriel, Santiago Hem, and Alfredo Guiroy.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires City, Argentina. Electronic address: flpadi@gmail.com.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Oct 1; 190: e230e236e230-e236.

BackgroundLow back pain and neck pain are primary causes of disability, with low back pain being a frequent reason for medical consultations. After conservative and pharmacological treatments, spinal injections are considered the next option. Despite multiple guidelines, spinal blocks remain controversial in terms of indication, technique, and operator, leading to considerable interinstitutional variability. The absence of regional studies in Latin America on how spinal surgeons handle spinal injections prompts the objectives of this study: to evaluate spinal surgeons' knowledge and experience, analyze techniques, and identify barriers and challenges in implementing spinal injections, including resource limitations, technology access, and training.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was performed using a questionnaire specifically designed by the authors.ResultsTwo hundred sixty spinal surgeons from Latin America participated and answered a 17-question questionnaire; 75% performed their own spinal blocks and they are willing to keep on learning new techniques on the field. The most frequent block, was the lumbar facet injection (80%). And the great majority (76%) used fluoroscopy in their practice.ConclusionsThe study addresses a critical gap in the literature by focusing on spinal interventions in Latin America, where there is a notable lack of regional studies. The majority of the surgeons enrolled perform their own spinal injections, and they are interested in keep on learning. The findings not only contribute to the global discourse on spinal care but also offer a basis for the development of region-specific guidelines and educational initiatives.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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