Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Apr 2022
Dose-dependent effects of high intensity focused ultrasound on compound action potentials in an ex vivo rodent peripheral nerve model: comparison to local anesthetics.
In animal models, focused ultrasound can reversibly or permanently inhibit nerve conduction, suggesting a potential role in managing pain. We hypothesized focused ultrasound's effects on action potential parameters may be similar to those of local anesthetics. ⋯ While some action potential parameters were altered comparably by focused ultrasound and local anesthetics, there were small but notable differences. It is not evident if these differences may lead to differences in clinical pain effects when focused ultrasound is applied in vivo or if focused ultrasound pressures that result in clinically relevant changes damage nerve structures. Given the potential advantages of a non-invasive technique for managing pain conditions, further investigation may be warranted in an in vivo pain model.