The new medical report on the health of Alberto Fernández, who had to be transferred for medical attention to the Otamendi Sanatorium, speaks of having to undergo a
"root block"
due to a
herniated lumbar disc
.
According to the specialists, root blocks have been performed for
about 40 years for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
in patients with radicular pain, that produced by hernias that affect the spine and the spinal cord it contains.
It is a procedure performed by
traumatologists and neurosurgeons
.
"The block is to apply a needle with corticosteroid that is placed where the disc herniation occurs. It is a simple and safe process that is done
in the operating room but with local anesthesia,"
specialized sources explained
to Clarín.
"Only the needle is inserted, nothing is cut,
it is not surgery but a kind of infiltration
," they clarify.
Eladio Vecchi, osteopath and kinesiologist, provides details about the treatment he will give the President.
"The block
is minimally invasive
and consists of the
percutaneous introduction of a fine needle
in order to infiltrate
a corticosteroid and anesthetic
into the facet joint of a segment of the spine, to
block the nerve branch causing the pain
and reduce inflammation in the area" , says Vecchi, who is a disseminator and columnist on health issues for the TN channel.
And he advances on the comprehensive treatment: "Pain relief
can last for months
and sometimes even remits the condition permanently if it is accompanied by correct
rehabilitation and lumbar training
.
"The intention is
to deposit the medication, generally local anesthetic with or without corticosteroids
, next to the place where the inflammation of the nerve root is, guided by fluoroscopy and the use of contrast solutions", explain, for their part, the nucleated doctors in Arydol, a specialized Spanish site.
There they differentiate between different terms, "selective root block" and "transforaminal epidural block", which are frequently used for the same purpose, but both are procedures with different indications.
Alberto Fernández, upon leaving the Otamendi sanatorium.
They will do a root block in her lumbar disc herniation on Thursday or Friday. Photo Enrique García Medina
"The transforaminal epidural block is used
to treat radicular pain
. The solution is injected at the periradicular foraminal level and is distributed to the epidural space, being able to extend to the space adjacent to the level made. The radiological image that appears when administering a contrast solution shows the contour of the nerve root and sometimes distribution towards the epidural space. In this block, the diagnostic information is limited by the lack of specificity, as the medication can be distributed through several vertebral levels", the specialists report.
Alberto Fernández's lumbar hernia
This Tuesday, under absolute secrecy, after 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, presidential custody arrived at the Otamendi Sanatorium in the Recoleta neighborhood, to prepare for the arrival of Alberto Fernández.
The president is suffering from severe back pain and entered the health center to undergo medical studies.
They performed
an MRI that revealed a hernia in the L2 to L4 vertebrae
.
After the information was revealed by Clarín, the Government published an official statement informing that Fernández suffered from "acute low back pain" and that he would undergo diagnostic studies.
Finally, the resonance gave that diagnosis and they decided
not to block the pain tonight
and he left the Otamendi with the first lady Fabiola Yañez after 9:30 p.m.
According to the Presidential Medical Unit, the blocking procedure will be carried out on the President
between Thursday and Friday
.
DS
look also
New presidential medical report on the health of Alberto Fernández: he has a herniated disc
Alberto Fernández leaves the Otamendi sanatorium: an MRI confirmed a lumbar hernia