Pain physician
-
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.
-
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.
-
Chronic low back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide and its pathophysiology remains poorly understood, a problem exacerbated by the heterogeneity of the patient population with chronic low back pain. Although the intervertebral discs are often implicated in chronic low back pain, studies have demonstrated strong innervation of the vertebral endplates by the basivertebral nerve, therefore making it a possible target for ablation in the treatment of vertebrogenic chronic low back pain. ⋯ Current research has shown that basivertebral nerve ablation might be a promising treatment for chronic low back pain in patients exhibiting Modic type 1 or 2 endplate changes, while additional research on the association between Modic changes and low back pain is still needed to gain widespread use and acceptance of this new treatment modality. The introduction of new devices and a larger number of independent studies would greatly enhance the confidence in the outcomes reported with this treatment modality in order to ultimately benefit patients, clinicians, and society.