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

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

330

Phase

  • 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

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
Intervention / Treatment
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

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

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

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)

December 22, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 4, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 4, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 27, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID 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.

Clinical Trials on Cervical Radiculopathy

Clinical Trials on ultrasound guided cervical selective nerve root block

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Liberia

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe