• Bing Huang, Xu-Yan Zhou, Ya-Ping Lu, Ze-Feng Zhu, Jian Hou, Jian-Liang Sun, Guo-Shui Xie, Sheng-Mei Zhu, and Han-Guang Zheng.
• Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing Medical College, Jiaxing 314000, China.
• Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2008 Apr 1; 88 (13): 885-8.

ObjectiveTo present the experience in a technique used to treat intractable postherpetic neuralgia (PHN)-percutaneous dorsal root ganglion (DGR) radiofrequency thermocoagulation guided by CT scanning.MethodsSixteen PHN patients underwent puncture of radiohealing needle into the superior 1/3 of the corresponding intervertebral foramen guided by CT. Electric stimulation test and impedance test were conducted to confirm the right spot. Radiofrequency heat coagulation therapy under the condition of 90 degrees C 90 s was performed for 3 cycles. Then mixture of betamethasone and lidocain was injected and the needle was pulled out. CT was conducted to observe if pneumothorax occurred. The patients were followed up for 2-16 months.ResultsRadiofrequency thermocoagulation was performed on 45 target dorsal root ganglia in 16 PHN patients with the effect of immediate disappearance of hyperalgesia. Remaining spontaneous pain was seen in 5 cases, however, with decreases of attack frequency and severity. The visual analogue pain scale score was decreased from 7-9 before the procedure to 2-3 after the procedure. No relapse was found during the follow-up.ConclusionSelective percutaneous DRG radiofrequency thermocoagulation guided by CT scanning is effective in treatment of PHN.

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