Open AccessA Case Report of Successful High-Frequency 10-kHz Spinal Cord Stimulator Trial in a Patient with Refractory Thoracic Postherpetic Neuralgia
Author(s) -
Sai P. Alla
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
interventional pain management reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2575-9841
DOI - 10.36076/pmcr.2021/5/55
Subject(s) - postherpetic neuralgia , medicine , spinal cord stimulator , refractory (planetary science) , spinal cord , anesthesia , neuralgia , spinal cord stimulation , pulsed radiofrequency , surgery , neuropathic pain , pain relief , physics , psychiatry , astrobiology
Background: Spinal cord stimulation can be an effective treatment modality in patients suffering from postherpeticneuralgia who have failed first-line pharmacotherapy and continue to struggle from debilitating pain.Appropriate patient selection and having a wide array of stimulation waveforms can enhance the successof spinal cord stimulator trials.Case Report: In this article, we present a case report of a patient suffering from refractory thoracic postherpetic neuralgiawho underwent a successful high-frequency 10-kHz spinal cord stimulator trial. Lead tips weresuccessfully placed at the midline and left paramedial side of the top of T1 vertebral bodies at the sourceof the pain. The patient was followed up in our clinic 7 days post procedure. At the time of follow-up,our patient reported an 85% to 90% reduction in his pain symptom scores and a significant improvementin his quality of life.Conclusion: Similar successful trials for postherpetic neuralgia have been reported in small studies using traditionallow-frequency stimulation waveforms. However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a successfulspinal cord stimulator trial using high-density 10 kHz.Key words: Postherpetic neuralgia, high-frequency spinal cord stimulator, acute herpes zoster