August 2024. Seminar with Edge Medical on the Stratus Medical Nimbus RF probe (https://stratusmedical.com/)
This is an elegant and simple way of producing a larger RF lesion with conventional electrode technology. IN RF size matters and the larger the size of the heat lesion determines the likely success of the outcome so technical advances matter.
New learning. Muscle Sparing Facet RF.
A demerit of conventional RF medial branch lesioning is that it also weakens the deepest muscles of the spine – multifidus. At the same time there are developing technologies to stimulate the same muscles to induce improvement in postural control and pain, (Rectiv8 https://mainstaymedical.com/). So in younger patients there is an argument for avoiding even minimal denervation. Dr Yeung, visiting from the US presented an evolved method for facet RF denervation utilising the specifics of the heat pattern of the Nimbus probe and avoid the denervation. I have used it on a first case and look forward to seeing the result in the Next few weeks.