Transforaminal Lumbar and Thoracic Interventions and Ischemic Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Transforaminal epidural steroid injections have been shown to be associated with catastrophic neurologic complications secondary to spinal cord infarction. The reflexive, ad hoc response of practitioners to these injuries has been to recommend risk minimization strategies to prevent embolism of the injected particulate steroids and to use nonparticulate steroids. This focus on distal embolism as the sole or primary cause of catastrophic outcomes lacks conclusive supporting evidence and does not suffice to protect the patient from paraplegia as it fails to address the root cause of the complications. A root cause analysis of the procedure provides evidence that the injection technique itself—the “safe triangle”—creates a risk of arterial damage and sequelae leading to ischemia of the spinal cord. The evidence is strong that the only way to mitigate or eliminate the risk of paraplegia is to use a different technique to perform transforaminal injections: the Kambin triangle approach. This change in technique is the only definitive solution that addresses the root cause of these catastrophic sequelae associated with transforaminal epidural steroid injections. Key Words: Artery of Adamkiewicz, ischemic spinal cord injury, Kambin triangle, safe triangle, transforaminal epidural injection