Anatomical study of ultrasound vs landmark guidance for needle placement in the obliquus capitis inferior

Needling of obliquus capitis inferior (OCI) muscle could be an important intervention for individuals with upper cervical pain; however, precision is important due to its sensitive location. The aim was to assess the accuracy, safety and performance of needling OCI using palpation versus ultrasound-...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rodríguez Sanz, Jacobo, Fernández de las Peñas, César, Borrella Andrés, Sergio, López-de-Celis, Carlos, Arias-Buría, José Luis, Albert, Pérez-Bellmunt, Albarova-Corral, Isabel, Malo Urriés, Miguel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:20.500.12328/4862
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12328/4862
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96225-x
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Obliquus capitis inferior
Ultrasò
Palpació
Punció
Cadàver
Fisioteràpia
Ultrasonido
Palpación
Punción
Cadáver
Fisioterapia
Ultrasound
Palpation
Needling
Cadaver
Physiotherapy
61
Descripción
Sumario:Needling of obliquus capitis inferior (OCI) muscle could be an important intervention for individuals with upper cervical pain; however, precision is important due to its sensitive location. The aim was to assess the accuracy, safety and performance of needling OCI using palpation versus ultrasound-guidance in a cadaveric model. A cross-sectional anatomical study was conducted. Five therapists each performed a series of 20 needle insertion tasks (n = 100) on 10 anatomical samples. Distance from the needle tip to the target, if the OCI muscle belly was reached (accuracy), surrounding sensitive structures targeted (safety), time needed, number of needles passes, and the length of the needle remaining outside the skin were assessed. The ultrasound-guided procedure was associated with significantly greater accuracy and safety (p < 0.001). The ultrasound-guided procedure achieved 100% accuracy of reaching the OCI compared to 40% with the palpation-guided procedure, with a shorter distance from the needle tip to the target. In the palpation-guided procedure, potentially sensitive structures were pierced in 38% of cases compared to only 4% with the ultrasound-guided approach. However, the palpation-guided procedure required less time and fewer passes. Our findings suggest that ultrasound-guided procedure showed greater accuracy and safety than palpation-guided procedures for properly targeted the OCI muscle belly.