NIMBUS Overview

The NIMBUS Multitined Expandable Electrode was invented by an interventional pain management physician that wanted a cost effective, easy-to-use, RF cannula that would provide a large and optimally shaped lesion for treating chronic pain patients in hospital.  After tremendous effort and significant investment into the design, testing, validation, IP and regulatory clearances, NIMBUS was born. 

Busy interventional pain management practitioners appreciate the simplicity and efficiency of NIMBUS to treat both simple and complex RF targets for pain.  NIMBUS provides a large 8mm – 10mm prolate spheroid lesion4 that minimizes technical obstacles and allows a simple perpendicular5 or “down-the-beam” approach.

NIMBUS has been shown to significantly decrease procedural time2, which opens up procedure rooms for additional patient treatments and provides improved revenue opportunity to the hospitals and surgery centers where NIMBUS is utilized.

NIMBUS enables the interventional pain management practitioners to place the cannula perpendicular5 to a target and create a large field lesion volume with a single heat-cycle. Whether the target is “down the beam”, for example medial branch; or is a cephalocaudal running nerve, for example genicular or sympathetic chain; NIMBUS creates a proper lesion efficiently.

When compared to other large volume RF techniques such as internally cooled electrodes, NIMBUS is more cost effective, efficient, easy to use and requires no special equipment.  NIMBUS is the only large lesion RF device for pain with MRI validation5 of lesion size (601.7mm3).

Background:

Radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) can be an effective treatment for patients with chronic neck pain and cervicogenic headaches resistant to conservative care. However, the degree and duration of pain relief after RFN is dependent upon the thoroughness of target nerve coagulation.

Case Report:

This is a case of a 37-year-old patient with debilitating neck pain and headaches following a motor vehicle accident. Successful local anesthetic block of the third occipital nerve (TON) confirmed pain of C2-C3 facet joint origin. An initial RFN treatment of the TON, using standard 18G electrodes in bipolar mode, resulted in complete symptom amelioration for 8 months. Repeat RFN, using the same electrode configuration, was unsuccessful in alleviating the severe neck pain and headaches, and produced no demonstrable sensory loss in the distribution of the TON. RFN was then performed using the NIMBUS® electrosurgical RF multitined expandable electrode, which provides a larger zone of coagulation in volume than standard RFN electrodes even when used in bipolar configuration.

Conclusion:

The NIMBUS procedure resulted in successful coagulation of the TON with sensory loss in the TON distribution and reinstatement of palliative relief.