Interventional Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Abstract

Neuropathic pain has been reported to be highly prevalent, severely disabling, and often refractory to pharmacological and noninterventional conservative treatment. There is an emerging body of exciting evidence to support interventional therapies in selected refractory neuropathic pain states, although more randomized controlled trials or comparative effective trials are needed. This chapter updates the scientific evidence in support of the efficacy of neural blockade techniques and neural ablative procedures in neuropathic pain states, including peripheral compression or trauma-related neuropathic pain, herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), lumbosacral and cervical radiculopathy, sympathetically maintained pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), trigeminal neuralgia and trigeminal neuropathy, and painful diabetic polyneuropathies.