Neurosurgery clinics of North America
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The article discusses chronic pain rehabilitation and describes its components and some of the core operating principles. Outcomes in chronic pain are best when multiple treatment strategies with a focus on functional restoration are employed, and this is often best done in an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program.
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Complex craniofacial pain can be a challenging condition to manage both medically and surgically, but there is a resurgence of interest in the role of neurostimulation therapy. Surgical options for complex craniofacial pain syndromes include peripheral nerve/field stimulation, ganglion stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, dorsal nerve root entry zone lesioning, motor cortex stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. Peripheral nerve/field stimulation is rapidly being explored and is preferred by both patients and surgeons. Technological advances and improved understanding of the interactions of pain pathways with its affective component will widen the scope of neurostimulation therapy for craniofacial pain syndromes.
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Neurosurg. Clin. N. Am. · Oct 2014
ReviewPercutaneous spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain: indications and patient selection.
Percutaneous spinal cord stimulation has a clinical benefit in selected patients with chronic neuropathic pain related to failed back surgery syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome. Patients with other peripheral neuropathic pain syndromes may also respond favorably. The cause of the chronic pain must be established to rule out remediable causes. ⋯ A psychological evaluation identifies patients who may not benefit. Risk factors for infection should be corrected where possible. This safe, reversible treatment should be considered early for patients with intractable peripheral neuropathic pain.
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Neurosurg. Clin. N. Am. · Oct 2014
ReviewDeep brain stimulation for chronic pain: intracranial targets, clinical outcomes, and trial design considerations.
For over half a century, neurosurgeons have attempted to treat pain from a diversity of causes using acute and chronic intracranial stimulation. Targets of stimulation have included the sensory thalamus, periventricular and periaqueductal gray, the septum, the internal capsule, the motor cortex, posterior hypothalamus, and more recently, the anterior cingulate cortex. The current work focuses on presenting and evaluating the evidence for the efficacy of these targets in a historical context while also highlighting the major challenges to having a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Considerations for pain research in general and use of intracranial targets specifically are included.
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Nerve blocks are often performed as therapeutic or palliative interventions for pain relief. However, they are often performed for diagnostic or prognostic purposes. ⋯ The most common nerve blocks for chronic pain and that may be applicable to the neurosurgical patient population are reviewed in this article. This article is an introduction and brief synopsis of the different available blocks that can be offered to a patient.