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CT-guided scapulothoracic bursal injection—technical considerations in planning needle trajectory and confirming bursal distribution

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Abstract

Objective

To describe a technique of targeted CT-guided scapulothoracic bursal injections in an illustrated and step-wise manner.

Materials and methods

This technical report describes the authors’ experience in using CT guidance for targeted scapulothoracic bursal injections in 8 patients with suspected scapulothoracic bursitis over an 18-month period.

Results

The outcome of the image-guided injection was retrospectively assessed in 8 patients. None of the patients had any complications related to the procedure. Symptomatic improvement was achieved in 62.5% of the patients while 25% of patients did not report any benefit from the injection.

Conclusion

In providing a record of needle tip position and contrast distribution, CT-guided scapulothoracic bursal injections provide an objective record of the procedure, which may assist in further treatment planning.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Timothy Murray, Aakanksha Agarwal & Mark Cresswell

  2. The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada

    Dyan V. Flores

Authors
  1. Timothy Murray
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  2. Aakanksha Agarwal
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  3. Mark Cresswell
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  4. Dyan V. Flores
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aakanksha Agarwal.

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Ethics approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Research Ethics Board approval for this technical note was explicitly waived for this study in accordance with institutional policy.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Murray, T., Agarwal, A., Cresswell, M. et al. CT-guided scapulothoracic bursal injection—technical considerations in planning needle trajectory and confirming bursal distribution. Skeletal Radiol 52, 1015–1021 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-022-04111-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-022-04111-8

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