Boqing Chen, Kevin W Tang, Amir Issa, Karim Issa, Arun Zachariah, Patrick M Foye, Todd P Stitik
{"title":"Radiofrequency Ablation of the Thoracic Descending Branch of the Posterior Rami: An Effective Intervention for Facet Joint Pain. A Case Report.","authors":"Boqing Chen, Kevin W Tang, Amir Issa, Karim Issa, Arun Zachariah, Patrick M Foye, Todd P Stitik","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Thoracic spine pain is believed to have a comparable prevalence to that of neck pain and low back pain in the general population. Recent discoveries in thoracic spine neuroanatomy have shown that the descending branch of the posterior ramus innervates the thoracic facet joint capsule. We present a case in which thermal radiofrequency ablation of the descending branch was used to significantly relieve pain in a patient with thoracic facet joint pain.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>A 57-year-old woman presented with a 4-month history of severe midthoracic back pain. The patient had failed initial conservative treatment including oral pain medications and physical therapy for 3 months. She ultimately elected for 2 bilateral diagnostic blocks of the T4-T6 descending branches and subsequent radiofrequency ablation; this treatment resulted in complete pain relief and functional improvement.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Thoracic spine descending branch thermal radiofrequency ablation may be a treatment option for thoracic facet joint pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 3","pages":"77-80"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144546774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comprehensive Review for the Treatment of Multilevel Thoracic Compression Pain with a Case Report Demonstrating Use of Peripheral Stimulation.","authors":"Kwasi Ampomah, Jillian Dean, Michael Patterson","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The pain, compromised spinal biomechanics, and limited mobility caused by thoracic vertebral compression fractures present complex clinical challenges. Conventional treatments for this condition have limitations, necessitating innovative solutions. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), which interrupts pain-signaling pathways, offers a minimally invasive approach.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We report a 20-year-old woman with T9 and T7 thoracic compression fractures resulting from a horse-riding accident. Although she had received the standard interventions, her pain persisted. PNS was introduced, resulting in an 85% pain reduction and improved quality of life for the patient. PNS utilizes neuromodulation principles to target peripheral nerves, intercepting nociceptive signals.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This case highlights PNS's potential as a transformative therapeutic strategy for thoracic compression fractures. PNS offers personalized pain relief with minimal invasiveness, making it a promising alternative to conventional treatments. As the prevalence of osteoporosis rises, PNS holds promise for better outcomes and enhanced quality of life in patients with vertebral compression fractures.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 3","pages":"95-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144546768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Arm Pain in an Adolescent Girl with Ewing Sarcoma as Bridge Therapy to Chemotherapy: A Case Report.","authors":"Ashlyn Brown, Saba Javed","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cancer commonly presents discomfort from abnormal cell growth in healthy tissue and is often inadequately managed. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), mainly for non-cancer chronic pain, has emerged as a minimally invasive option for neuropathic cancer-related pain when conventional methods fail. Limited research, primarily in adults, has focused on PNS in the non-oncological population.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>A 14-year-old adolescent girl with a history of obesity, diabetes, and Ewing sarcoma in her left proximal humerus experienced severe pain, initially rated at 10/10. After undergoing ultrasound-guided left suprascapular PNS as a 60-day bridge therapy to chemotherapy, her pain improved to 3/10 at lead removal and remained at 4/10 at 3 months postremoval.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>PNS is a promising and less invasive neuromodulation approach for managing tumor-related bone pain. Our case study illustrates the effectiveness of PNS placement for significant pain reduction, although limitations, such as delayed response and the need for further randomized-controlled studies, are acknowledged.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 3","pages":"103-107"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144546772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laert Rusha, Abhishek Yadav, Justin Li, Keith Austin Scarfo, Ross Barker, Peter Soukas
{"title":"Anticoagulation Management During a Spinal Cord Stimulator Trial on a Patient With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.","authors":"Laert Rusha, Abhishek Yadav, Justin Li, Keith Austin Scarfo, Ross Barker, Peter Soukas","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Spinal cord stimulators (SCSs) are indicated for the treatment of many pain syndromes. They are often trialed prior to placement of a permanent implant. Patients on anticoagulation therapy are instructed to follow the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine guidelines during this process.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>Here we describe a unique case of a patient who had an SCS trial, followed by an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) on day 4 postimplantation. After coronary revascularization, the patient started dual antiplatelet therapy, which posed significant for epidural hematoma with recent stimulator implantation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The patient was bridged with intravenous antiplatelet agents prior to SCS trial removal and monitored closely. Our discussion will focus on all anticoagulation management of patients with a recent STEMI who had undergone a trial SCS implantation.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 2","pages":"55-59"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stellate Ganglion Blocks for Post-COVID-19 Headaches: Case Report.","authors":"Woo Jun Shim, Skylar Remick, Chong Kim","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Long COVID can impact patients with a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health symptoms, lasting for months to years despite recovery from the acute infection. One of the symptoms is headaches. Post-COVID-19 headaches can affect the quality of life for many patients, and as a result, the management and treatment of the symptoms have become important issues.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We present a case series of patients with varying presentations of post-COVID-19 symptoms, including headaches, who responded positively to the use of stellate ganglion blocks (SGBs).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We report the successful use of a right-sided SGB for varying post-COVID-19 symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 2","pages":"41-43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ketamine Infusion for Refractory Post-COVID-19 Fatigue: Case Report.","authors":"Skylar Remick, Woo Jun Shim, Chong Kim","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) symptoms are common after COVID-19 infections and despite recent efforts to study and treat, limited progress has been made. The most common of the symptoms, fatigue, can be debilitating and lack effective treatment options, and as a result, the need for potential management options is paramount.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We present a case report of a patient with refractory PCS fatigue. Following intravenous ketamine infusion, the patient noted significant improvement in his energy and fatigue symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We report the successful use of ketamine infusion for PCS fatigue symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 2","pages":"45-47"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Felip Jezzini Roriz Pina, Emily Sottosanti, Evgeny Bulat, Sravya Madabhushi, Fahed Alrowaily, Linda Kollenburg, Christopher Robinson
{"title":"Prior Hypermobile Spinal Cord Stimulator Removal With Difficult Reimplantation due to Epidural Scarring Provides Relief in Postlaminectomy Syndrome.","authors":"Felip Jezzini Roriz Pina, Emily Sottosanti, Evgeny Bulat, Sravya Madabhushi, Fahed Alrowaily, Linda Kollenburg, Christopher Robinson","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>When spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy fails for postlaminectomy syndrome (PLS), oftentimes the device is not removed or explanted, or rarely, it is reimplanted with the hopes of success with a new implant.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>Our patient is a 52-year-old man with a history of PLS treated with L5-S1 discectomy who presented with refractory chronic low back pain. He underwent an initial SCS implant with significant pain relief, but was limited due to unwanted abdominal stimulations with movement and explanted 8 months later. Despite his prior experience, a second SCS was implanted but with great difficulty due to widespread epidural scarring leading to a positional headache, which self-resolved. Fortunately, the second implant provided > 50% pain relief.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our case highlights the importance of reconsidering an SCS reimplantation which may benefit a select group of individuals, though more research is required to define this subset of patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 2","pages":"61-64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Uses High-Frequency Electromagnetic Coupling Technology to Power an Implanted Neurostimulator With a Separate Receiver for the Treatment of Chronic Knee Pain: A Retrospective Study.","authors":"Earl Kilbride, Lane Kilbride","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chronic knee pain is highly prevalent in the United States, especially within the older population. The condition negatively impacts overall quality of life and can be a substantial financial burden. Current conservative and surgical interventions are not always effective in managing chronic knee pain. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) can be an alternative to current management strategies.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>Data was retrospectively extracted from the electronic medical records of patients who received a permanent Freedom® PNS System for treating chronic knee pain. Systems were implanted for at least one month. Outcomes of interest included pain levels and occurrences of adverse events. Seven patients were included in this analysis. Pain scores decreased from 9.8 ± 0.3 to 1.6 ± 1.5 after the trial. The average pain score was 1.3 ± 0.8 at one month, with no adverse events reported.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Chronic knee pain can be safely managed with the Freedom PNS System.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 2","pages":"49-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luke Lehman, Daniel Ahn, Jacqueline Curbelo, Matthew McClure
{"title":"Use of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Perineural Catheter to Treat Phantom Limb Pain in a Multiple Limb Amputee: Case Report.","authors":"Luke Lehman, Daniel Ahn, Jacqueline Curbelo, Matthew McClure","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Limb loss is a debilitating condition affecting many Americans and approximately 80% go on to suffer phantom limb pain (PLP). Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) and perineural catheter (PC) placement are promising treatment options for PLP.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We present a 36-year-old man, who underwent right transhumeral and right transtibial amputations following a work-related accident. He developed significant PLP of both limbs. The right upper extremity PLP was treated first during the inpatient hospital course with a 5-day infusion of 0.5% ropivacaine via a PC. The right lower extremity PLP was later addressed in the outpatient setting with a diagnostic right sciatic/saphenous nerve block followed by a 60-day PNS lead placement, which provided > 50% pain relief from baseline. The patient continues to have > 50% pain relief in his RLE nearly 9 months after the initial procedure.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our case adds to a growing body of evidence that supports the utility of PNS and PC. Future studies should explore whether early intervention with PNS could improve long-term outcomes. In addition, clinicians could consider the use of a PC for intractable PLP as an opioid-sparing strategy in the inpatient setting where close monitoring is feasible.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 2","pages":"37-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Pinchman, Arnold Moore Iii, Lyncee Barrett, John Paul Pianka, Ravneet Bhullar
{"title":"Buprenorphine Microinduction to Mitigate Withdrawal Symptoms During Abrupt Discontinuation of Intrathecal Fentanyl: A Case Report.","authors":"Elizabeth Pinchman, Arnold Moore Iii, Lyncee Barrett, John Paul Pianka, Ravneet Bhullar","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Intrathecal pumps provide effective analgesia for many patients living with chronic pain. However, pump removal can present significant challenges from the pain management perspective, as patients are often highly opioid-tolerant and at significant risk of withdrawal. Buprenorphine microinduction has shown promise as a strategy for mitigating withdrawal symptoms while avoiding the respiratory depression associated with full agonist opioids. However, reports of its usage in patients undergoing intrathecal pump removal are limited.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We present the case of a 56-year-old woman with chronic non-cancer back pain who was successfully transitioned to oral buprenorphine using a microinduction protocol when her longstanding intrathecal pump was abruptly discontinued.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This case demonstrates that buprenorphine microinduction may be a safe and effective method of mitigating opioid withdrawal symptoms in non-cancer pain patients undergoing abrupt intrathecal pump discontinuation.</p>","PeriodicalId":520525,"journal":{"name":"Pain medicine case reports","volume":"8 1","pages":"13-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}