Basivertebral Nerve (BVN) Ablation

Basivertebral Nerve (BVN) ablation, also known as Intracept, is a procedure for patients with chronic low back pain who have not responded to conservative treatments or who have not had long lasting results and show Modic Type 1 or Type 2 changes. Basivertebral nerve ablation is widely used and serves as an efficient alternative for the management of chronic pain that is unresponsive to first line conservative therapies for patients with vertebrogenic low back pain. Vertebrogenic pain is that which is caused by damage to vertebral endplates, the interface between the vertebral body and the disc.

What Is BVN Ablation?

There are pain management options for chronic lower back pain. When other conservative treatments are not effective in controlling chronic lower back pain, our physicians at Caliber Pain™ may recommend basivertebral nerve (BVN) ablation. This treatment uses radiofrequency or heat energy to ablate, or disable, the basivertebral nerves around the affected vertebral endplates that are signaling pain to the brain. Ablating the basivertebral nerve stops the pain signals, resulting in reduced or eliminated low back pain. The procedure can take less than two hours to perform and has been very beneficial for many patients with chronic lower back pain.

Basivertebral nerve ablation is completed by first identifying the vertebral endplates that are affected. The radiofrequency ablation procedure is then used to disrupt or stop pain signals from the affected basivertebral nerves. BVN ablation is performed by using image-guided needles to deliver heat energy to the targeted nerves. The radiofrequency ablation causes lesions on the nerves, impacting their ability to send pain signals to the spinal cord and brain.

Basivertebral nerve ablation is an outpatient, non-invasive procedure done under anesthesia that can offer almost immediate pain relief and minimize the need for other pain medication. It is recommended for those who are not obtaining relief from other types of treatment or want to avoid surgery and show evidence on MRI of Type 1 (edema and inflammation) or Type 2 (marrow ischemia or replacement of normal bone marrow by fat) Modic changes.

If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, then basivertebral nerve ablation may be an option to give you relief without surgery. To learn more about BVN ablation or our other interventional and regenerative medicine options for chronic pain, contact Caliber Pain™ for an appointment. We are located in Midtown Manhattan and welcome new patients.