Open AccessEffectiveness of 10-kHz High-frequency spinal cord stimulation in diabetic polyneuropathy refractory to medical management: two case reports
Author(s) -
Giuliano De Carolis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
j. amd
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2532-4799
DOI - 10.36171/jamd21.24.1.6
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , polyneuropathy , diabetic neuropathy , diabetes mellitus , neuromodulation , rehabilitation , refractory (planetary science) , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , spinal cord injury , anesthesia , spinal cord , stimulation , surgery , nursing , endocrinology , physics , psychiatry , astrobiology
The sensorimotor diabetic polyneuropathy represents a serious health problem, as it is responsible for an increased risk of mortality and substantial morbidity, resulting from foot ulceration, amputations, and impaired quality of life. Appropriate drug treatments are often unsuccessful at providing adequate pain relief and the use of minimally invasive procedures such as spinal cord stimulation (SCS) represents a valid therapeutic choice. Patient’s medical history and characteristics as well as clinical indication for the procedure influence the clinician in choosing the right type of therapy. Here we describe two cases suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus and sensorimotor polyneuropathy, refractory to conventional medical management: in both cases, the 10-kHz high-frequency SCS therapy led to a long-term clinically meaningful relief of symptomatology which was evaluated in terms of: complete discharge of analgesic drugs, significant reduction in the intensity of perceived pain, recovery of motor function, improvement of mood tone and sleep quality. KEY WORDS diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy; neuropathic pain; 10-kHz high-frequency spinal cord stimulation.