{
  "abstract": "Cervical epidural steroid injections (ESIs) are standard interventions for treating cervical radicular pain, yet both transforaminal and interlaminar approaches carry rare but catastrophic risks including spinal cord injury.1 2 Additional complexity arises in patient populations, such as those taking anticoagulants, are pregnant, or have high cervical radicular pathology, in whom the risk of interlaminar ESIs must be carefully considered.3 Cervical retrolaminar blocks (RLBs) have emerged as a novel extra-neuraxial alternative to treat cervical radicular pain.4 5 This letter critically examines the evidence for cervical RLBs, emphasizing that while the anatomical rationale and early data are compelling, controlled or comparative-effectiveness trials are needed before broader adoption.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Anesthesiology, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Jay Karri"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Anesthesiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
      ],
      "name": "David Hao"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Departments of Anesthesiology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA",
        "Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Anesthesiology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Steven Paul Cohen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA",
        "Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Ryan D’Souza"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cervical retrolaminar blocks: underutilized or ineffective in treating cervical radicular pain?",
  "uid": "6167f5a0-79ff-525c-8819-1d18b6fc5295"
}