CT Guided Injections are procedures where a CT scanner is used to guide a needle to a location in the body, so that a medication (usually steroid and local anaesthetic) can be given directly to help treat a number of conditions. CT Guided Injections in the spinal region may help to confirm that compression or irritation of a particular nerve is responsible for your symptoms, and aims to provide relief from neck, back, leg or arm pain.
CT-guided injection procedures may be particularly beneficial to patients who have:
The anti-inflammatory is long lasting - with the effects up to 3 months - however it may not begin working for several (2-7) days following the injection.
CT-guided injections offer several advantages compared to the technique most commonly used to guide injections, called X-ray fluoroscopy. Some injections are given with no guidance, reducing the probability the medication is delivered to the correct location.
Your radiologist is able to
If you
Your doctor may request this procedure to be performed with sedation, in which case you will be required to fast (not eat or drink anything) before the procedure, and a short stay hospital admission will be necessary.
It will be necessary for somebody to drive you home but you may eat and drink normally.
Before the procedure, you may be asked to change into an examination gown for your comfort, and to ensure clothing does not affect the images.
You may also be asked to remove jewellery, eye-glasses and any metal objects that might interfere with the imaging.
A CT Guided Injection normally takes around 15 minutes.
During the injection procedure you will undergo high-resolution, cross-sectional diagnostic CT, which may reveal other sources of pain or disease in adjacent discs or facets that weren't recognized on routine scans.
A long-lasting anaesthetic and a long-acting steroid are usually injected together.
Recovery after a CT Guided Injection should last only for a few hours. For those patients that undergo a nerve root injection, numbness in the legs or arms may occur for several hours, but will resolve once the local anaesthetic in injection wears off.
The local anaesthetic may give pain relief initially but will wear off after a few hours and the pain may return.
The effect of the steroid can last for a week, several months or years. Sometimes there is no pain relief from the injection. It can take several days for the steroid to begin to work and may take up to 2 weeks for it to have maximum effect.
Avoid strenuous activity for at least 48 hours after the injection.
If required, a simple analgesic such as paracetamol (Panadol) or anti-inflammatory should be sufficient. An ice pack may also provide some relief.
Infection is a potential and serious side effect. If you notice any fever or redness, swelling, or increased pain at the injection site after the first 2 days, notify your referring doctor or immediately call the clinic where the injection was performed.
Side effects may include:
Serious side effects causing permanent neurological damage can occur extremely rarely.
If X-ray contrast is given, there is a small risk of an allergic reaction, which may include flushing, hives and difficulty breathing. Severe reactions are rare, and a life-threatening reaction is extremely rare (1 in 170,000).
Make an enquiry
Bond Radiology can help in numerous ways if you have experienced a sports injury. You can book for a CT and ultrasound guided cortisone injection, or enquire about other procedures that might help relieve you of pain and inflammation following a sports injury.