Intracept®

What is Vertebrogenic Pain?

Vertebrogenic pain is a distinct type of chronic low back pain caused by damage to vertebral endplates, the tissue that covers the top and the bottom of each vertebral body and separates it from the disc. Disc degeneration, and the wear and tear that occurs with everyday living, produces stresses on the endplates that damage them, leading to inflammation and vertebrogenic pain. The basivertebral nerve (BVN), found within the vertebrae, carries pain signals from the inflamed endplates to the brain.

How Do Patients Describe Vertebrogenic Pain?

The disc and endplate are both part of the anterior spinal column and produce similar low back pain symptoms. However, endplate pain is associated with distinctive changes on routine MRI called Modic changes. Patients who find relief from the Intracept Procedure often describe pain in the middle of their low back that is made worse by physical activity, prolonged sitting, and bending forward or with bending and lifting.

How is Vertebrogenic Pain Treated?

The basivertebral nerve (BVN) enters the bone at the back of the vertebral body (the bones in your spine) and “branches” to the endplates (that are located at the top and the bottom of each vertebral body). When endplates are damaged, these nerve endings increase in number and “pick up” pain signals that are then sent to the brain through the BVN. The Intracept® Procedure relieves vertebrogenic pain by heating the basivertebral nerve (BVN) with a radiofrequency probe to stop it from sending pain signals to the brain.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT DURING AN INTRACEPT® PROCEDURE?

You will receive sedation through an IV before the procedure. A nurse will bring you into the procedure room and lay you on your stomach on a special table. Our staff will clean your skin at the incision site and apply a local anesthetic to numb your skin.

After a small incision is made in the lower back, the physician will use a fluoroscope (a special kind of X-ray machine) to help guide the introducer to the appropriate site for the procedure.

A tube-like instrument is advanced through the introducer, creating a channel. The probe is passed through the channel and placed next to the basivertebral nerve. A specialized machine generates radio waves to create heat, which is sent through the probe and applied directly to the nerve. The heat disrupts the pain signals coming from the BVN, which results in pain relief.

The introducer and probe are then carefully removed. The incision is cleaned, stitched, and covered with a sterile bandage.

How Long Does Pain Relief Last following the Intracept® Procedure?

Clinical evidence demonstrates the majority of patients experience significant improvements in function and pain 3-months post procedure that are sustained more than 5 years after a single treatment.