Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Liao H, Skalski M, Bell D, et al. Basivertebral nerve. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 27 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-148622
The basivertebral nerve supplies the vertebral endplates and can be a target for treating back pain.
Gross anatomy
The basivertebral nerve is a paired nerve arising from the sinuvertebral nerve. It ascends from its origin to enter the spinal canal, traversing centrally 1. It courses with the basivertebral vessels into the central vascular foramen. Within the foramen, it travels approximately 1/3 the diameter of the vertebral body before forming a trunk cluster and branching cranially and caudally. It provides sensation to the vertebral end plates, which form the superior and inferior edges of the vertebral body 2-4.
Clinical importance
Vertebral endplates are highly susceptible to injury and are the source of most chronic lower back pain 2. The basivertebral nerve provides an important role in nociceptive pain transmission for these endplates and is, therefore, a target for therapeutic ablation. The procedure is a minimally invasive spinal procedure that targets the nerve as it enters the central vascular foramen 1,3.
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1. Kim H, Wu P, Jang I. Lumbar Degenerative Disease Part 1: Anatomy and Pathophysiology of Intervertebral Discogenic Pain and Radiofrequency Ablation of Basivertebral and Sinuvertebral Nerve Treatment for Chronic Discogenic Back Pain: A Prospective Case Series and Review of Literature. IJMS. 2020;21(4):1483. doi:10.3390/ijms21041483 - Pubmed
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2. Fischgrund J, Rhyne A, Franke J et al. Intraosseous Basivertebral Nerve Ablation for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain: 2-Year Results From a Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Multicenter Study. Int J Spine Surg. 2019;13(2):110-9. doi:10.14444/6015 - Pubmed
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3. Vinicius Tieppo Francio & Dawood Sayed. Basivertebral Nerve Ablation. StatPearls Publishing. 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572127/ - Pubmed
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4. Michalik A, Conger A, Smuck M, Maus T, McCormick Z. Intraosseous Basivertebral Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Vertebral Body Endplate Low Back Pain: Current Evidence and Future Directions. Pain Med. 2021;22(Supplement_1):S24-30. doi:10.1093/pm/pnab117 - Pubmed
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