Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33029267›Full record

ArticlePain research & management2020

Fluoroscopy-Guided Blockade of the Greater Occipital Nerve in Cadavers: A Comparison of Spread and Nerve Involvement for Different Injectate Volumes.

Zhanfeng Song, Shuming Zhao, Jianqing Ma, Zhanyong Wu, Sidong Yang

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pain research & management, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. 11. Cervicogenic headache and occipital neuralgia.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Zhanfeng SongDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital of Xingtai, Xingtai 054000, China.
Shuming ZhaoDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital of Xingtai, Xingtai 054000, China.
Jianqing MaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital of Xingtai, Xingtai 054000, China.
Zhanyong WuDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Hospital of Xingtai, Xingtai 054000, China.ORCID 0000-0003-3878-6953
Sidong YangDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, China.ORCID 0000-0003-2342-4714

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Fluoroscopy-guided blockade of the greater occipital nerve (GON) is an accepted method for treating the symptoms of cervicogenic headaches (CGHs). However, the spread patterns among different injectate volumes of fluoroscopy-guided GON blocks are not well defined. Objective: A cadaveric study was established to determine the spread patterns of different volumes of dye injectate within a fluoroscopic GON block. Methods: 15 formalin-fixed cadavers with intact cervical spines were randomized in a 1 : 1 : 1 ratio to receive a fluoroscopy-guided GON injection of a 2, 3.5, or 5 ml volume of methylene blue. The suboccipital regions were dissected to investigate nerve involvement. Results: The suboccipital triangle regions, including the suboccipital nerves and GONs, were deeply stained in all cadavers. The third occipital nerve (TON) was stained in 7 of 10 administered 2 ml injections and in all the 3.5 ml and 5 ml injections. Compared to the 3 ml injectate group, the 5 mL cohort consistently saw injectate spreading to both superficial and distant muscles. Conclusions: A 3.5 or 5 mL fluoroscopy-guided GON injection of methylene blue successfully stains the GON, TON, and suboccipital nerves. This suggests that such an injection would generate blockade of all three nerve groups, which may contribute to the efficacy of the block for CGH. A volume of 3.5 ml may be enough for the performance of a fluoroscopy-guided GON block for therapeutic purposes.

Indexed as

AgedCadaverCervical VertebraeContrast MediaFemaleFluoroscopyHumansInjectionsMaleNerve BlockSpinal NervesContrast Media

Identifiers

PMID33029267
PMCPMC7528148

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.