MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of painful lumbar facet joints: a retrospective assessment of safety and tolerability in human subjects.

The current study demonstrates that MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of the lumbar facet joints is a safe and tolerable procedure in human subjects, and may provide another option for patients who fail RFA. Over half of all patients received significant durable pain relief, which jumped to 80% for patients who had at least some benefit from prior RF ablations.