Ultrasound-guided sacroiliac joint block

Abstract

Ultrasound-guided nerve block has become popular as a safe and reliable technique. Ultrasound can help visualize the nerve, its surrounding tissues, and a block needle in real time. Ultrasound guidance is also used for performing sacroiliac joint blocks. A sacroiliac joint block can be classified into two types, intraarticular injection and periarticular injection. According to previous research, periarticular injection is recommended as a more effective method. The sacroiliac joint is innervated by a nerve plexus called the posterior sacral network (PSN). The PSN is often derived from the lateral branches of the dorsal rami of S1-S3. Therefore, an effective sacroiliac joint block can be performed if these branches are the targets. An ultrasound-guided sacroiliac joint block is strongly recommended for patients with lower back pain because it is a neural block procedure at a relatively shallow position where there are no tissues such as arteries and important organs.