Ultrasound Guided Cervical Selective Nerve Root Block Versus Fluoroscopic Guided Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Block

February 27, 2026 updated by: Gyeong-Jo Byeon, MD, PhD, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital

Comparison of the Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety of Ultrasound-guided Cervical Selective Nerve Root Block and Fluoroscopic Guided Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Block in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy: A Retrospective Study

This study retrospectively analyzed medical records and imaging records (ultrasound images, fluoroscopy-guided images) of US-CSNRB and FL-CTFEB procedures performed at the Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital Pain Clinic outpatient department from May 1, 2019, to April 30, 2024. It compared the therapeutic effects (pain reduction), procedure-related indicators (comparison of contrast agent spread), safety (incidence of complications), and changes in analgesic usage.

The primary outcome of this study is the difference in pain chage (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS) between patients undergoing US-CSNRB and FL-CTFEB. The secondary outcomes are comparison of contrast agent spread and comparison of procedure-related complication rates.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The following information is retrospectively collected and observed for comparison based on the electronic medical records of selected patients.

  1. Patient characteristics: Age, height, weight, gender, lesion segment (e.g., C6/C7), comorbidities
  2. Procedure-related indicators:

1) Procedure method (US-CSNRB or FL-CTFEB) 2) Procedure site, procedure level, adverse events during the procedure 3) Contrast agent distribution pattern: Extent of contrast agent spread into the epidural space and into the nerve roots during the procedure 3. Treatment efficacy indicators: VAS (based on arm pain) at the first visit -baseline, the second visit - 1 month after procedure, the third visit - 2 month after procedure, and 4th visit - 3 months post-procedure; treatment success rate (VAS score reduction of 30% or more) 4. Safety indicators: Presence and type of procedure-related complications documented in medical records (e.g., intravascular injection, nerve injury, local anesthetic toxicity symptoms, transient motor paralysis, etc.).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
330

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • South Korea
    • Gyeongsangnam-do
      • Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, 50612
        • Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult male and female patients aged 18 years or older.
  • Patients diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy who underwent US-guided or FL-guided procedures.
  • Patients with clearly documented pain scale (VAS) assessments in medical records at the following time points: 1st visit (before the procedure), 2nd visit, 3rd visit, and at least 3 months post-procedure.
  • Patients who underwent procedures for lesions in a single or adjacent two segments.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who underwent surgical treatment within one month after the procedure due to progressive neurological deficits.
  • Patients with severe systemic diseases (e.g., cancer, severe immunosuppressive disorders) that may affect pain assessment.
  • Patients with severe systemic diseases (e.g., cancer, severe immunosuppressive disorders) that may affect pain assessment.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: group U
Procedure: ultrasound guided cervical selective nerve root block
A patient presenting to the pain clinic with cervical neck pain and upper extremity radicular pain, whose symptoms did not improve with medication, demonstrated a positive Spurling test on physical examination, and showed cervical radiculopathy at the C3/4 to C7/T1 level on imaging studies (CT or MRI), underwent an ultrasound-guided cervical selective nerve root block
Other Names:
  • fluoroscopic guided cervical transforaminal epidural block
Active Comparator: group F
Procedure: fluoroscopy-guided cervical transforaminal epidural block
A patient presenting to the pain clinic with cervical neck pain and upper extremity radicular pain, whose symptoms did not improve with medication, demonstrated a positive Spurling test on physical examination, and showed cervical radiculopathy at the C3/4 to C7/T1 level on imaging studies (CT or MRI), underwent a fluoroscopy-guided cervical transforaminal epidural block

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The difference in pain change
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 2 month, 3 month
the difference in pain change, assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS), between patients who underwent US-CSNRB and those who underwent FL-CTFEB
baseline, 1 month, 2 month, 3 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The pattern of contrast spread
Time Frame: periprocedural
The pattern of contrast spread during the procedure were evaluated, specifically focusing on the extent of contrast dispersion into the epidural space and along the targeted nerve root. The incidence of contrast spread into the epidural space and the targeted nerve root area was recorded.
periprocedural
The incidence of procedure-related complications
Time Frame: Periprocedural
The incidence of procedure-related complications were assessed by reviewing the medical records for the occurrence and specific types of procedure-related complications, encompassing adverse events such as inadvertent intravascular injection, nerve injury, symptoms of local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST), and transient motor weakness.
Periprocedural

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 22, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 4, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 4, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 27, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • US-CSNRB vs FL-CTFEB

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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