Cervical Facetogenic PainCERVESPNCT07595406
Cervical Medial Branch Block Versus Ipsilateral Cervical Erector Spinae Plane Block
A study testing Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block and Ultrasound-guided cervical erector spinae plane block in people with Cervical Facetogenic Pain and Chronic Neck Pain, run by Ankara City Hospital Bilkent at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This prospective randomized controlled study aims to compare the analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block and ipsilateral cervical erector spinae plane block in patients with cervical facetogenic pain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Cervical Facetogenic Pain, Chronic Neck Pain, Cervical Facet Joint Syndrome
- What is being tested?
- Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block and Ultrasound-guided cervical erector spinae plane block
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 130 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 31 May 2026to 31 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age between 18 and 80 years
- Chronic neck pain lasting at least 3 months
- Clinical findings suggestive of cervical facetogenic pain
- Numeric Rating Scale pain score ≥4
- Ability to provide informed consent
Who cannot join
- Cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy
- Major neurological deficit
- Infection at the injection site
- Coagulopathy or anticoagulant therapy contraindicating intervention
- Allergy to local anesthetics
- Pregnancy
- Previous cervical interventional pain procedure within the last 3 months
- Severe psychiatric disease
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Ankara Bilkent City Hospital
Ankara, Ankara, 06680
Ülkü Sabuncu, Assoc Prof, 905337085212, sabuncuulku@gmail.com
About this study
Official title: Ultrasound-Guided Cervical Medial Branch Block Versus Ipsilateral Cervical Erector Spinae Plane Block in Cervical Facetogenic Pain: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study
This prospective randomized controlled study aims to compare the analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block and ipsilateral cervical erector spinae plane block in patients with cervical facetogenic pain.
Patients with chronic cervical facet-mediated pain will be randomized into two intervention groups. Pain intensity, functional status, meaningful pain response rates, analgesic consumption, and patient satisfaction will be evaluated during follow-up.
The primary objective is to determine whether cervical erector spinae plane block provides comparable short-term pain relief to cervical medial branch block.
Read the detailed description
Cervical facet joints are an important source of chronic axial neck pain. Diagnostic cervical medial branch block is commonly used to identify facet-mediated pain and may also provide short-term analgesic benefit. However, this procedure requires precise targeting of the cervical medial branches and may be technically demanding in some patients.
The cervical erector spinae plane block is an ultrasound-guided interfascial plane block that may provide analgesia through cranio-caudal spread of local anesthetic along the paraspinal fascial plane. Although it has been increasingly used for perioperative and chronic pain indications, its role in cervical facetogenic pain has not been clearly established.
This study will compare the short-term analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block and ipsilateral cervical erector spinae plane block in patients with clinically suspected cervical facetogenic pain. Eligible patients will be randomized to receive one of the two ultrasound-guided interventions. Pain intensity, functional disability, meaningful pain response, analgesic use, patient satisfaction, and procedure-related adverse events will be assessed during follow-up.
The study is designed to determine whether cervical erector spinae plane block can provide clinically meaningful pain relief comparable to cervical medial branch block in this patient population.
- Being tested
- Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block, Ultrasound-guided cervical erector spinae plane block
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch blockOther
Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block performed at clinically suspected symptomatic cervical facet levels using local anesthetic for diagnostic and analgesic purposes.
Ultrasound-guided cervical erector spinae plane blockOther
Ultrasound-guided ipsilateral cervical erector spinae plane block performed at the symptomatic cervical level using local anesthetic for analgesic purposes.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cervical Medial Branch Block | Experimental | Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block will be performed at the clinically suspected symptomatic cervical facet levels. Receives: Other: Ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block |
| Cervical Erector Spinae Plane Block | Experimental | Ultrasound-guided ipsilateral cervical erector spinae plane block will be performed at the symptomatic cervical level.
I Receives: Other: Ultrasound-guided cervical erector spinae plane block |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Meaningful Pain Response
Proportion of patients achieving at least 50% reduction in Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain score during the early post-procedural period.
Measured: Time Frame: 1 hour after the procedure
Secondary outcomes (7)
NRS24
Change in pain intensity measured using the 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (0=no pain, 10=worst imaginable pain).
Measured: at 24 Hours
NRS1
Change in pain intensity measured using the 11-point Numeric Rating Scale.( 0=no pain, 10=worst imaginable pain)
Measured: 1 week after the procedure
NDI
Functional disability associated with neck pain assessed using the Neck Disability Index.0 = no disability 50 = complete disability
Higher scores indicate greater neck-related functional disability (worse outcome).
Measured: Baseline and 1 week after the procedure
GPE
Patient-reported global improvement evaluated using a 7-point Global Perceived Effect scale. The GPE scale ranges from -5 to +5, where:
-5 = vastly worse 0 = no change
+5 = completely recovered
Measured: 1 week after the procedure
Analgesic Consumption
Need for rescue analgesic medication after the procedure.
Measured: 24 hours and 1 week after the procedure
Patient Satisfaction
Patient satisfaction regarding the procedure.
Measured: 1 week after the procedure
Complications
Procedure-related adverse events and complications.
Measured: Perioperative/Periprocedural
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 May 2026
- Study start31 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Cervical Facetogenic PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants with clinically suspected cervical facetogenic pain will be randomly assigned in a parallel-group design to receive either ultrasound-guided cervical medial branch block or ultrasound-guided ipsilateral cervical erector spinae plane block. Outcomes including pain intensity, meaningful pain response, functional status, analgesic consumption, and patient satisfaction will be compared between the two intervention groups during follow-up.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 130 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ankara City Hospital Bilkent
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Ülkü Sabuncu, Ankara City Hospital Bilkent
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07595406
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 123456
- Acronym
- CERVESP
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 28 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 19 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Elsharkawy H, Ince I, Hamadnalla H, Drake RL, Tsui BCH. Cervical erector spinae plane block: a cadaver study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2020 Jul;45(7):552-556. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2019-101154. Epub 2020 Apr 21.
PubMed 32321860