Fluoroscopy
It’s amazing how advanced technology has greatly contributed to the field of modern interventional pain management today. Fluoroscopy is a kind of imaging method that utilizes X-rays in order to get real-time moving images of a patient’s internal structures through the use of a fluoroscope. Basically, a fluoroscope is a box or tube that’s fitted with a special screen coated with a fluorescent material, used for viewing certain objects, particularly deep structures within the body.
- Joint Injections
- Knee Injections
- Shoulder Injections
- Hip Injections
- Prolotherapy
Platelet Rich Plasma Injections
Botox Injections
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
- Percutaneous Disc Decompression
- Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty (IDET)
- Minimally Invasive Procedures
- Medical Orthotics
- Medication Management
- Chronic Opioid Therapy
The technique itself enables more precise needle placement in addition to allowing the pain management field to explore new and better treatment possibilities. During a procedure for pain management, doctors like Dr. Puppala can inject contrast substance to determine precisely where the needle is located in real-time, rather than the conventional way of getting an X-ray.
Past research has shown that epidural injections done without the use of a fluoroscope have a 30-40 percent miss rate, which is an enormous disservice to patients receiving the treatment. As a result, several pain physicians consider a fluoroscope as a standard agent to employ during an epidural injection. As a patient receiving pain management treatment, isn’t it crucial to get only the best care possible in order to achieve ideal results?
New procedures and technologies developed over the past decade that have significantly benefitted from the use of fluoroscopy include minimally invasive lumbar discectomy, vertebroplasty, and spinal cord stimulators. If a pain doctor is working in a difficult or awkward area regarding an injection, dye injection can show if the needle placement is accurate or needs to move elsewhere. It can also save a great deal of time since the doctor can plainly see in real-time if he should move forward and inject the last and final medication. The doctor can see much better through the use of a fluoroscope if the needle is appropriately located within a vascular structure.
Fluoroscopes are able to move in many different directions, which is obviously helpful if a patient is suffering from scoliosis or other irregular anatomy. It can also vary in intensity, which is enormously helpful if a certain patient has a great deal of excess tissue to penetrate. As the size of the patient increases, the quality of the image decreases; thus, the latest fluoroscopes are very good at enhancing the quality of the generated images overall.
Due to the latest procedures made possible through fluoroscope technology along with the increased precision enabled by using the technique itself, fluoroscopy is comparable to a simple cell phone.
V. K. Puppala, M.D. serves patients throughout the Metro Atlanta, GA area. He treats all his patients with the utmost compassion and respect and is greatly concerned about their general well-being. Dr. Puppala takes a multidisciplinary approach by incorporating a number of minimally invasive interventional methods using practical restoration and effective medication management. Call 770-627-7246 or 770-MAP-PAIN today to set up an appointment.
