title: Role of facet joints in spine pain and image-guided treatment: a review.
abstract: Chronic low back and neck pain remain prevalent medical concerns, with much debate regarding the effective evaluation and treatment. Facet disease has been implicated as a source of axial nonradiating low back pain. We discuss patient evaluation, the role of imaging, current and emerging image-guided therapies for facet-related pain, and the increasing importance of outcome-related research in this arena.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, UCSD Medical Center, San Diego, CA, USA. jbykowski@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bykowski
authors.forename: W H W
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D017115:Catheter Ablation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D013581:Synovial Cyst / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000473:pathology*