• Claudio Reverberi, Alessandro Dario, Giancarlo Barolat, and Giulia Zuccon.
• Pain Therapy Centre, Oglio-Po Hospital, Vicomoscano, Italy.
• Neuromodulation. 2014 Dec 1;17(8):777-83; discussion 783.

ObjectiveWe examined the efficacy of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) in treating neuropathic and causalgic pain, with a stimulation system specifically designated for PNS itself.Materials And MethodsA total of 15 patients were treated between January 2011 and March 2012. The percutaneous lead was implanted on the nerves, exposing it on the electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) guide. The average numeric rating scale (NRS) preimplant was 8.46, and the oxycodone intake was 90 mg/day.ResultsOf the 15 patients, 3 failed the trial phase and 12 were implanted with a permanent pulse generator (Lightpulse 100, Neurimpulse, Rubano, PD, Italy). At an average of 9.3 months of follow-up, the average NRS score was 3.46 (p < 0.001), and the average Likert scale score at 7 points was 5.91. Nine patients were working prior to their injuries, seven of whom returned to work after receiving an implant. The average oxycodone consumption decreased to 30 mg/day, and the pregabalin dosage decreased to 75 mg/day.ConclusionOur study results confirm that PNS is an effective modality in managing severe neuropathic and intractable pain following multiple joint surgeries that are complicated by causalgic pain.© 2014 International Neuromodulation Society.

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