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RF for Treatment of Cervical Disk Herniation

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Radiofrequency Treatments on the Spine

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Abstract

Many percutaneous, minimally invasive techniques for treatment of disk herniations have been proposed in the last decades, entailing the use of different energies. Decompression techniques are feasible and reproducible, efficient (75–94 % success rate), and safe (>0.5 % mean complications rate) therapies. Cervical herniations are particularly suitable for minimally invasive approaches, both for anatomical reasons and when the percutaneous approach is compared to the risks and high invasiveness of the traditional open surgical approach. The use of RF for treatment of cervical disk herniations is limited to the use of coblation technology, also called nucleoplasty.

In this chapter we will describe the mechanism of action of coblation applied to the cervical intervertebral disk, describe the surgical technique, and summarize the data concerning safety and effectiveness of this treatment.

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  1. Department of Neuroradiology, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, piazza OMS 1, 24127, Bergamo, Italy

    Giuseppe Bonaldi M.D.

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  1. Giuseppe Bonaldi M.D.
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Bonaldi M.D. .

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  1. Radiology, Santissima Trinita Hospital Radiology, Cagliari, Italy

    Stefano Marcia

  2. Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari Department of Radiology, Cagliari, Italy

    Luca Saba

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Bonaldi, G. (2017). RF for Treatment of Cervical Disk Herniation. In: Marcia, S., Saba, L. (eds) Radiofrequency Treatments on the Spine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41462-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41462-1_4

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