Radiofrequency Procedure Relieves Chronic Neck Pain

A novel water-cooled radiofrequency (RF) system relieves chronic pain by treating the cervical facet joints in the upper spine.

The Cervicool system is designed to address the unique anatomy of the cervical facet joints by employing water-cooled technology to service larger lesions than standard RF, helping to address nerve path variability in the cervical spine. During treatment, the physician inserts the sterile, single-use probe through an introducer into or near the nervous tissue. RF energy heats the tissue, while circulating water moderates the temperature in close proximity to the electrode or active tip. This combination creates large volume lesions without excessive heating at the electrode.


The probe includes a 122-cm connecting cable and tubing extension to reach out of the sterile field. These are connected to the generator and peristaltic pump unit for RF energy delivery and internal cooling; a thermocouple in the probe measures cooled electrode temperature throughout the procedure. A radiopaque marker is located at the proximal end of the active tip to define the lesion location under fluoroscopy, confirming position and enhancing visualization. The Cervicool Cooled RF system is a product of Kimberly-Clark (Irving, TX, USA), and is available in two sizes.

“Kimberly-Clark is continuously transforming the healthcare landscape, from diagnostics to treatment, offering unique solutions for chronic pain,” said Lisa Kudlacz, general manager of global interventional pain management at Kimberly-Clark. “The addition of the Cervicool cooled RF system completes our portfolio of cooled RF spine treatment offerings.”

The facet joint is a synovial joint between the superior articular process of one vertebra and the inferior articular process of the vertebra directly above it; there are two facet joints in each spinal motion segment. The biomechanical function of each pair of facet joints is to guide and limit movement of the spinal motion segment. These functions can be disrupted by degeneration, dislocation, fracture, injury, instability from trauma, osteoarthritis (OA), and surgery.

Related Links:
Kimberly-Clark