Peripheral Subcutaneous Stimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Postherpetic Neuralgia: Two Case Reports and Literature Review |
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| Authors: | Irene Kouroukli,MD,PhD,FIPP, Dionissios Neofytos,MD,MPH, Venetiana Panaretou,MD, Vassilios Zompolas,MD,PhD, Dimitrios Papastergiou,MD, Georgios Sanidas,MD, Theonymfi Papavassilopoulou,MD, Loukas Georgiou,MD,PhD |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Clinic, Hippocratio General Hospital;;Department of Surgery, Agios Savvas General Hospital, Athens, Greece;;Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common cause of chronic pain in the elderly. Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioids may reduce discomfort in many patients, while others have pain intractable to all forms of therapy. We present a novel treatment approach for intractable PHN utilizing percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation. Two cases are described in which an 80-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman with intractable PHN, lasting 2 and 10 years, respectively, were effectively treated with implantation of two octapolar leads in the lateral thoracic region. These cases suggest that peripheral nerve stimulation may offer an alternative treatment option for intractable pain associated with PHN especially in the elderly where treatment options are limited because of existing comorbidities. |
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| Keywords: | peripheral nerve stimulation percutaneuous field stimulation intractable postherpetic neuralgia |
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