Technique:
The patient is placed in the supine position with the neck extended, and the procedure is performed under intravenous sedation, the C-arm fluoroscopy is used in anteroposterior and lateral planes to direct the placement of the introducer needle onto the disc surface. The introducer cannula (19-gauge) is inserted medially to the sternocleidomastoideus muscle (SCM), and stopped when the annulus/nucleus junction is reached. The stylet withdrawn from the introducer cannula and replaced with the SpineWand. The device is activated and then rotated 360° to create a spheric void for 5–10 seconds. After the first channel into the disc is completed, the device is repositioned to a different part of the nucleus, and the same steps were done twice (three ablation cycles of 5–10 seconds were performed) in order to form three consecutive pockets within the disc.
