CT-Guided Ozone Injection for Back Pain

PRIVAMED's radiology department performs CT-guided pain-management injections of spinal nerve roots (periradicular therapy) and facet joints for chronic back and radicular leg pain, with ozone application available as a published self-pay add-on at 1,200 Kč. Under CT navigation, the radiologist places the needle with millimetre precision at the affected nerve root or facet joint and applies an ozone-oxygen mixture, which is associated with anti-inflammatory effects and, in disc-related root compression, with shrinkage of herniated disc material. CT guidance means the injection reaches exactly the structure generating the pain — a key advantage over blind or landmark-guided injections. The procedure is outpatient, takes well under an hour including positioning and control scans, and is performed within a full acute-care hospital with the standard radiology booking pathway.

CT-guided ozone injection combines two established interventional pain-management approaches: precision image-guided spinal injection and oxygen-ozone therapy. **The problem it targets:** Chronic low-back pain and radicular pain (pain radiating into the leg) most often arise from irritation of a spinal nerve root — typically by a herniated disc — or from degenerated facet joints. When conservative therapy (physiotherapy, analgesics) fails, targeted injections at the pain generator are the next step before surgery is considered. **Why CT guidance matters:** The spinal nerve roots and facet joints are small, deep structures surrounded by bone. Under CT navigation, the radiologist confirms the needle tip position on control scans before anything is injected, so the therapeutic agent is delivered exactly to the symptomatic root or joint. This precision improves response rates and safety compared with non-guided injections. **The ozone component:** Medical ozone is an ozone-oxygen mixture applied around the nerve root or into the facet joint. In the published literature it is associated with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and in disc herniation it may contribute to volume reduction (shrinkage) of the protruding disc material over the weeks following treatment. Ozone application is offered at PRIVAMED as a defined self-pay extra (1,200 Kč) on top of the insurance-covered CT-guided injection — one of the few imaging departments in the Plzeň region with this option publicly listed. **The procedure:** The patient lies prone on the CT table. After planning scans, the skin is disinfected and locally anaesthetised, a thin needle is advanced to the target under repeated low-dose CT control, the position is verified, and the injection (typically local anaesthetic/anti-inflammatory medication plus the ozone-oxygen mixture) is applied. Including positioning and control scans the appointment takes roughly 30–45 minutes; the injection itself only minutes. Patients are observed briefly afterwards and can usually leave the same day — but should not drive immediately after the procedure and should arrange transport. **Course of treatment:** Pain relief may begin within days; depending on response, the procedure can be repeated. Many patients combine it with structured physiotherapy — PRIVAMED's own rehabilitation department is on the same campus. **Booking and eligibility:** A physician referral is needed for the underlying CT-guided injection (covered by Czech public insurance); the ozone add-on is paid in cash at the hospital cashier. Booking via the CT line +420 377 182 407 (Mon–Fri 7:00–14:00). The procedure is not suitable in pregnancy, active infection, or certain bleeding disorders — these are screened at indication.