Ultrasound-Guided Lumbar Paravertebral Block After Pre-Designed Route on X-Ray Film for Radicular Pain Following Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Case Report

Danxu Ma,1 Huili Li,1 Rong Shi,1 Yinan Yang,1 Haoda Liu,2 Xiaodong Ge1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Huairou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaodong GeDepartment of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 8, Gongtinan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xiaodongge2005@163.comBackground: Persistent or recurring radicular pain after lumbar surgery is a clinical condition of failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) that seriously affects the life quality of patients. Conventional medication and physiotherapy do not fully relieve this pain. A simpler, safer, and less invasive option is lumbar selective nerve root block or paravertebral block. Here, we share our experience regarding lumbar paravertebral block for a patient with FBSS, which successfully alleviated radicular pain after lumbar surgery.Case Presentation: An 80-year-old man with left lower limb radicular pain diagnosed as L4-5, L5-S1 intervertebral disc protrusion, spinal canal stenosis, and degenerative scoliosis underwent lumbar surgery. Four months after surgery, he experienced left lower limb radicular pain. After designing the puncture route based on X-ray film, we performed a combined ultrasound-guided L4 and L5 paravertebral block. With his improved pain control, his functional status and ability to perform daily activities also markedly improved.Conclusion: Real-time ultrasound-guided lumbar paravertebral block performed with a pre-designed route on X-ray film can provide a simple and safe way to relieve radicular pain in FBSS.Keywords: lumbar paravertebral block, failed back surgery syndrome, ultrasound-guided, pre-designed route