IDET is performed as a same day procedure and usually takes about 30-60 minutes for each disc treated. Afterward, you spend about an hour in the recovery room under observation. Then you are released to go home. Major steps in the procedure are outlined below:

• You are lightly sedated for relaxation.
• With the aid of real-time x-ray imagery (video fluoroscopy), the doctor inserts a hollow needle into the damaged disc.
• A small wire-like probe is then inserted into the needle and pushed very carefully until the heatable tip is near the area of disc injury. It is this heat on the disc that provides the long-term therapeutic effects of the IDET procedure.
• After the probe is removed, a small amount of antibiotic may be delivered to the disc through the hollow needle to guard against infection.
• The needle is removed, a sterile bandage is placed over the area of the needle stick, and you are taken to a recovery room.
• After about an hour of being monitored in the recovery room, you can usually be driven home.

For more details about the IDET procedure, you may wish to view an informational video.

Safe insertion and precise positioning of the SPINECATH catheter is made possible with fluoroscopy, a sort of real-time x-ray motion picture that allows the physician to see what’s happening as it happens.

 

When the tip of the catheter is placed in the injured disc, a controlled dose of heat is delivered. The heat contracts and thickens collagen fibers in the disc wall, potentially closing the cracks and tears and cauterizing the tiny nerve endings that can cause pain.

IDET is a safe and effective procedure for chronic discogenic lower back pain, but it’s not for everyone. To learn more, see Is the IDET Procedure Right for You?