Percutaneous injection (infiltration) under CT guidance
CT-guided injection in Casablanca
This injection places an anti-inflammatory drug, usually a cortisone derivative (corticosteroid), in a deep area: mainly the spine and the sacroiliac joint, between the lower back and the pelvis. The CT scan, which uses X-rays, provides cross-sectional images. The radiologist can thus check, step by step, the position of the needle in relation to the bones and nerves. The aim is to relieve pain related to a nerve root or to a joint of the back.
Duration, report and equipment
Duration
The injection itself usually takes 15 to 30 minutes, including the CT localization.
Report turnaround
Report within 24 hours. In an emergency, during opening hours, the report is handed over immediately.
When is this exam needed?
- Sciatica or femoral nerve pain (pain that travels down the leg) related to a herniated disc or a narrowed spinal canal, despite medical treatment.
- Lower back pain coming from the facet joints, small joints at the back of the vertebrae.
- Buttock or lower back pain of sacroiliac origin.
- Less often, arm pain related to a nerve root in the neck.
- Persistent pain after spine surgery, as advised by your surgeon.
How the exam is done
The radiologist reviews your exams and treatments with you. You lie on the CT table, most often on your stomach for the lower back. A few planning images help choose the entry point, which is marked on the skin and then widely disinfected.
After local anesthesia, the needle advances in small steps, with a CT check each time. Depending on the target, a drop of iodinated contrast agent checks that the product spreads correctly before the medicine is injected. Tell us what you feel: near a nerve root, a pain that briefly resembles your leg or arm pain may occur. You then stay lying down for a while under monitoring. The affected leg or arm may remain weak or numb for a few hours.
Preparation
- Tell us when you book about any anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication. Never stop it on your own: the radiologist will tell you whether it needs to be adjusted, together with the doctor who prescribed it.
- Arrange for someone to drive you home.
- If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar more closely for a few days.
- Keep the day quiet, without staying in bed.
Fasting
No fasting in general: if your procedure requires it, the team will tell you when you book. A light meal before you come is recommended.
Contrast injection
The injected product is usually a corticosteroid, sometimes mixed with a local anesthetic. A very small amount of iodinated contrast agent, injected just before through the same needle and not into a vein, checks how it spreads.
Contraindications and precautions
- Pregnancy, even if only possible: as a precaution, tell the team before the procedure, as the guidance uses X-rays at a limited dose.
- Allergy to iodinated contrast agent, corticosteroids or local anesthetics.
- Ongoing infection, fever or skin lesion at the puncture site.
- Uncorrected bleeding disorder.
- Diabetes, with your treatments (including metformin): blood sugar can rise after the corticosteroid.
- Kidney failure, thyroid disease or breastfeeding: the radiologist will tell you what to do.
Documents to bring
- Prescription specifying the vertebral level or the joint, and the side
- MRI, CT scan or X-rays of the back, with their reports
- Prescriptions for your current treatments, especially anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs and diabetes medication
- Surgical report if you have already had back surgery
- Mutual insurance fund card or insurance certificate
Price and insurance coverage
The center accepts coverage from insurance companies and the main mutual insurance funds. You submit the coverage request to your insurer or fund yourself. For AtlantaSanad and Sanlam, the center takes care of it.
No prices are shown on this site: Kenza gives you the exact price on WhatsApp, along with the coverage procedure for your situation.
Frequently asked questions
Why use a CT scan rather than ultrasound?
Spinal targets are deep and surrounded by bone, which ultrasound cannot pass through. The CT scan clearly shows the vertebrae, the nerve roots and the needle. It involves exposure to X-rays, but the dose is kept to what is necessary for the treated area.
Will I be able to go home alone?
It is better to have someone take you home. The anesthetic can make a leg numb or less steady for a few hours. Avoid driving on the same day, rest without staying in bed and gradually resume your activities from the next day, unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Is the relief immediate?
Not necessarily. The anesthetic can bring quick relief, then a more painful phase sometimes follows for one or two days. The corticosteroid works more slowly, and its effect varies from one person to another. Your doctor then assesses the result with you.
What symptoms should alert me after the procedure?
Contact your doctor or the center right away if you notice any of these signs: fever, redness at the injection site, pain that gets clearly worse, weakness or numbness that persists, difficulty urinating, severe headaches when standing. These complications are rare.