Pain physician
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Ultrasound (US) has been widely used for the diagnosis and guided interventions of peripheral nerve disorders. Although superior cluneal nerve (SCN) entrapment is an important cause of lower back pain, a relevant review as to how US can be used for imaging and guided intervention for cases of SCN entrapment is still lacking. ⋯ US imaging is helpful for guiding injections of SCN entrapment and related clinical conditions. The evidence of US imaging in diagnosing SCN disorders remains insufficient, which requires more prospective studies to validate.
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Pudendal neuralgia (PN) is one of the most common forms of genital pain. Only 42.2% of PN patients respond to the first-line treatment. Novel neuromodulation techniques in the treatment of refractory PN patients are urgently required. ⋯ These data imply that SNS can have beneficial effects on patients with refractory PN.
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Ultrasound-guided (ULSD-g) genicular nerve blocks (GNB) using pharmacological agents for pain control in chronic knee osteoarthritis (OA) are gaining in popularity. There lacks a systematic review to evaluate the ULSD techniques and pharmacological agents used during the intervention, and to assess the knee's function postintervention. ⋯ There is fair evidence to at least target the superior medial genicular nerve, inferior medial genicular nerve, and Inferior medial genicular nerve using local anesthetics, corticosteroids, or alcohol to reduce pain and to improve knee function in patients with chronic knee OA under ULSD guidance. The procedure is safe but more research is needed to determine the optimal interventional approach.