• Prashanth S Manjunath, T S Jayalakshmi, G P Dureja, and A Toby Prevost.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, USA. pmanjunath@yahoo.com
• Anesth. Analg. 2008 Feb 1; 106 (2): 647-9, table of contents.

BackgroundComplex regional pain syndrome type 1 can be difficult to treat. The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of two therapeutic options: percutaneous radiofrequency thermal lumbar sympathectomy and lumbar sympathetic neurolysis.MethodsWe randomized 20 patients to receive percutaneous radiofrequency lumbar sympathectomy or lumbar sympathetic neurolysis with phenol 7% in lower limb complex regional pain syndrome type 1. The study end points were pain relief and side effects.ResultsWithin each group, there were statistically significant reductions from baseline in various pain scores after the procedure. However, there was no statistically significant difference in mean pain scores between the groups.ConclusionsBased on this pilot study, radiofrequency lumbar sympathectomy may be comparable to phenol lumbar sympathectomy. A larger trial is required to confirm these findings.

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