Pain physician
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Cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections have become less popular due to the risk of catastrophic complications they pose. However, cervical nerve root blocks are useful for surgical planning in patients with cervical radicular pain syndromes. ⋯ Cervical selective nerve root blocks using a curved blunt needle and a posterior approach are effective in selectively identifying nerves that cause clinical symptoms. This technique minimizes the risk of arterial or spinal cord impingement and therefore may be safer than transforaminal selective nerve root blocks.
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Observational Study
Pulsed Radiofrequency Therapy at Different Voltages on Dorsal Root Ganglia Using Multifunctional Catheter to Treat Low Back Pain: A Comparative Retrospective Study.
Applying pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) to the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is an electrical neuromodulation technique, a valid complementary therapeutic treatment for failed back surgery syndrome (FBBS). Peridurolysis, when applied to vertebral canal adhesions, can be performed with dedicated catheters, providing patients with the benefits of mechanical, electrical, and pharmacological techniques. ⋯ E-field technology is the only way to generate a constant 38°/42° PRF and 100 V level throughout surgical interventions (respecting the exposure times "set" by the operator). The patient will not feel any pain or electric current because the generated milliamperes will be greatly reduced.
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Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is a rare cause of facial pain that has an incidence of less than one per 100,000 people. The excruciating stabbing pain experienced by patients with GPN can be debilitating, leading to difficulties in activities of daily living, such as eating and speaking. As a result, there has been a recent increase in research on the effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating GPN. ⋯ RFA is efficacious in treating GPN with over 80% of patients experiencing postprocedure pain relief. However, further research in the form of clinical and controlled trials is needed to contribute to a better understanding of RFA's long-term outcomes for patients with GPN.
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Primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN) is a type of chronic neuropathic pain disorder caused by neurovascular compression. Percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is a widely used method for the treatment of PTN. ⋯ An intraoperative BP of 138.65-153.90 KPa can be maintained for effective PBC treatment without causing serious complications.