Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Objectives. In Europe, patients with acute pelvic pain are transported to the hospital in an ambulance without an emergency physician. We hypothesized that transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) would be an effective noninvasive procedure for pain treatment. Methods. We conducted a prospective, randomized, blinded study where 100 women were randomly assigned into a real- or a sham-TENS group. ⋯ Results. Compared to sham TENS, patients with active TENS felt that their pain was reduced by half after treatment (p < 0.01), anxiety scores significantly decreased (p < 0.01), heart rate and arteriolar vasoconstriction decreased significantly (p < 0.01), and nausea (p < 0.01) was lessened. Overall satisfaction with the received care was significantly higher (p < 0.01). Conclusion. TENS is a safe, rapid, and effective analgesic treatment for acute pelvic pain.
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Objective. The safety and efficacy of intrathecal (IT) ziconotide was studied in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Materials and Methods. Patients (169 ziconotide, 86 placebo) with severe chronic nonmalignant pain unresponsive to conventional therapy and a visual analog scale of pain intensity (VASPI score) ≥ 50 mm were treated over a 6-day period in an inpatient hospital setting. Initial starting dose was 0.4 µg/hour and was titrated to analgesia or intolerance (maximum dose 7.0 µg/hour). ⋯ During the initial titration phase, a significantly greater percentage of patients in the ziconotide group compared to the placebo group reported AEs, including abnormal gait, amblyopia, dizziness, nausea, nystagmus, pain, urinary retention, and vomiting. Conclusion. Ziconotide provided significant analgesia in patients for whom conventional therapy failed. However, there was a considerable incidence of ziconotide-associated AEs due to the rapid titration and high doses administered.
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Objectives. Although the load impedance of a pulse generator has a significant effect on battery life, the electrical impedance of contact arrays in spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has not been extensively studied. We sought to characterize the typical impedance values measured from common quadripolar percutaneous SCS contact arrays. Methods. In 36 patients undergoing percutaneous trial stimulation for various chronic pain conditions, bipolar impedance between adjacent contacts of 64 leads with 9 mm center-to-center spacing was measured in two different vertebral level regions, cervical (C3-C7) and lower-thoracic (T7-T12). ⋯ Conclusions. Results from finite-difference mathematical modeling of SCS suggest that the difference in tissue impedance related to vertebral level may be due to the dorsoventral position of the lead in the epidural space. The presence of a larger space between the triangularly shaped dorsal part of the vertebral arch and the round shape of the dural sac in the lower-thoracic region increases the likelihood that the stimulating lead will not make dural contact, and thus "see" an increased impedance from the surrounding epidural fat. This implies that the energy requirements for stimulation in the thoracic region will be higher than in the cervical region, at least during the acute phase of implant.
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A rare complication of intrathecal drug therapy-inadvertent insertion of the intrathecal catheter into the matter of the spinal cord-is presented. The patient developed signs of progressive monoparesis immediately after implantation of an intrathecal drug delivery system. ⋯ The article discusses probable mechanism of the complication and possible ways of its prevention. The usefulness of CT myelography in determining the intrathecal catheter position relative to the spinal cord is emphasized.
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Intrathecal baclofen is presently the most effective treatment for diffuse spasticity whatever the cause. The fact that both spasticity is always accompanied by a degree of muscle weakness and that any antispastic treatment causes a decrease in muscle strength indicate that major attention must be paid in treating spasticity in ambulant patients. Methods. We present here a retrospective study, approved by the insitutional ethics committee, of 22 ambulant spastic patients, selected as homogeneous for disease and disease duration, who were treated with intrathecal baclofen at the Istituto Nazionale Neurologico "C. ⋯ These patients were followed-up for to 15 years of treatment and their clinical assessment was enriched by the evaluation of their functional independence measurement (FIM) before and during treatment. Results. There was improvement in quality of life as measured by the FIM scale; however, an increase in the patient's motor performance could not be detected. Conclusion. Although we did not show any improvement in muscle performance, intrathecal baclofen did improve daily quality of life, even in spastic patients who were able to walk.