Selective lumbar nerve root blocks with CT fluoroscopic guidance: technique, results, procedure time, and radiation dose.

CT fluoroscopy may be used as a rapid and effective means of guiding needle placement when performing selective lumbar nerve root blocks. In this set of patients, the average external radiation dose was 0.73 mrem per procedure, with an average of 2 seconds of CT-fluoroscopy time and four images per procedure. Average physician room time was 7 minutes. Use of intermittent CT fluoroscopy during lumbar selective nerve root blocks can result in minimal radiation dose levels and procedure times that are comparable to fluoroscopic guidance.