Ultrasound-guided Pulsed Radiofrequency of the Third Occipital Nerve
The second patient is a 42-year-old male with right occipital headache, and posterior neck pain after artificial disc implantation at C4-5 and C6-7 levels. Before his visit to our hospital, he received cervical epidural injections, neuroplasty, and physical therapy at other hospitals, but effects were minimal. We first performed percutaneous neuroplasty. After neuroplasty, posterior neck pain was relieved. However, pain on the right occipital area remained. Two times of diagnostic TON blocks were performed as same as the first case and the patient showed positive responses to each blocks. We decided to perform pulsed radiofrequency under ultrasound guidance. The procedure was done as the same manner as the first. Patient's NRS decreased from 8 to 3. One year after the procedure, patient does not show increase in NRS, and he is also on a regular follow up.