The Clinic for Molecular Orthopedics

Interventional Radiology

As interventional radiology is the combination of medical treatments and imaging techniques. Especially in the case of injections in the spine this method plays an important role. Because here the very delicate spinal cord and nerve roots, and often are anatomical variations are available CT-controlled injections recommended. For patients, this form of conservative therapy a high degree of security. In the first step we determine the injection site on the skin and the target point in the depth. Then the needle. Then we inject a contrast medium well tolerated and produce as control of the correct position of the needle CT recording. If the position of the needle is injected the drug.

We offer the following CT-controlled methods:

• Treatment of spine incidents
• Bandscheibenpunktion
• Facet joint infiltration

Treatment of spine incidents

What is a herniated disc?

When herniated disc there will be a shift of intervertebral disc, the “shock” of the spine. The soft core of the disc occurs from the Bindegewebsring and presses against the spinal cord or nerve root. Nearly two-thirds of all spine-related disorders affect the lumbar spine, the third cervical spine. Especially common are people in middle age of disc incidents affected.

Disc incidents may be lost without symptoms, say they are in most cases, however, by pain, tingling and weakness in legs or arms. The cause is usually – due to the natural aging process – a weakening of the connective tissue of the spine. The diagnosis should be next to the neurological investigation, a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic recording.

New treatment with anti-TNF

In addition to the well-known conservative therapies of the disc incident (ie muskelentspannende and inflammatory medications, acupuncture, physiotherapy), we go with new ways biotechnological active ingredients. When herniated disc comes through the release of cytokines to pain and inflammation in the nerve root. Cytokines, messenger substances of the immune system, are causally related to the development of pain and nerve damage. A key role in the complaints from the disc to play the incident substances TNF-alpha and interleukin-1. Through your opponent can they destroyed.

For the treatment of the spine incident, we therefore the protein anti-TNF-alpha. In general, four local injections of the active enough. Pain and neurological symptoms speak well to therapy. The scientific basis for this procedure provided clinical studies from Finland and California.

Bandscheibenpunktion

In Bandscheibenpunktion is the introduction of a drug directly into the spinal disc. This may be necessary if local pain in the back, directly from the worn-out disc.

Facet joint infiltration

When facet syndrome is to make the vertebral joints outgoing pain. These may be included in the legs, especially the thigh, radiate. As the different facets of vertebral joints. With the help of CT facet joints can specifically with pain medications or with knorpelschützenden and anti-inflammatory proteins, such as anti-interleukin-1 receptor, are treated.