A brief review of complex regional pain syndrome and current management.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating chronic pain condition that, although exceedingly rare, carries a significant burden for the affected patient population. The complex and ambiguous pathophysiology of this condition further complicates clinical management and therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, being a diagnosis of exclusion requires a diligent workup to ensure an accurate diagnosis and subsequent targeted management. The development of the Budapest diagnostic criteria helped to consolidate existing definitions of CRPS but extensive work remains in identifying the underlying pathways. Currently, two distinct types are identified by the presence (CRPS type 1) or absence (CRPS type 2) of neuronal injury. Current management directed at this disease is broad and growing, ranging from non-invasive modalities such as physical and psychological therapy to more invasive techniques such as dorsal root ganglion stimulation and potentially amputation. Ideal therapeutic interventions are multimodal in nature to address the likely multifactorial pathological development of CRPS. Regardless, a significant need remains for continued studies to elucidate the pathways involved in developing CRPS as well as more robust clinical trials for various treatment modalities.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating and complex condition that places a significant physical, psychological and emotional burden upon afflicted patients necessitating multi-modal approaches to treatment.The development of the Budapest criteria provided a robust and well-tested set of diagnostic criteria to aid clinicians in the diagnosis of CRPS.The pathophysiology of CRPS has been challenging to elucidate with numerous proposed mechanisms, altogether suggesting a multi-factorial process is involved in the development of this condition.Non-invasive treatments for CRPS are essential in addressing the physical limitations this disease can cause as well as addressing the significant psychological burden that involves increased incidence of depression and suicidal ideation.Invasive treatments offer promising results, especially when considering dorsal root ganglion stimulation; however, the need for more robust clinical trials remains, especially when considering a small portion of patients who have refractory CRPS resort to amputation to control their pain symptoms.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Superior Cluneal Neuralgia: A Cadaver Demonstration of a Novel Technique for Lead Placement.

Superior cluneal neuralgia (SCN) is a distinct cause of lower back and/or leg pain related to pathology of the superior cluneal nerve. When assessing a patient with low back pain (LBP), superior cluneal neuralgia is frequently misdiagnosed. The pathophysiology of SCN ranges from myofascial compression brought on by aberrant muscle tone to direct iatrogenic injury or trauma. In this technical report we will discuss the anatomy of superior cluneal nerve, superior cluneal neuralgia, current treatment modalities, and a novel approach to peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) lead placement via a cadaver demonstration for SCN.

Pudendal nerve blockade for persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD): A clinical review and case report.

BACKGROUND: Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) is a condition characterized by unwanted and potentially painful genital sensations or spontaneous orgasms without stimulation. We present a case of a 55-year-old woman with refractory genital arousal disorder that was treated with serial pudendal nerve blocks. CASE: RW is a 55-year-old woman with chronic pelvic pain, pudendal neuralgia, MDD, SI, GAD, CRPS, and persistent genital arousal disorder for 11 years. Her PGAD was refractory to conservative management, physical therapy, and bilateral clitoral artery embolization. We performed bilateral pudendal nerve blocks with Kenalog and Bupivacaine, which provided almost complete relief for 2-3 months. We performed a bilateral pudendal nerve radiofrequency ablation; however, there was minimal benefit. RW continues to have significant relief with serial pudendal nerve blocks. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Persistent genital arousal disorder is often refractory to medication and physical therapy requiring significant intervention such as entrapment surgery or artery embolization. Our case demonstrates pudendal nerve blocks as a potential treatment modality with minimal side effects.

Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for Long-term Control of Refractory Meralgia Paresthetica.

BACKGROUND: Meralgia paresthetica is a term used to describe a clinical pain syndrome related to the compression or irritation of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). The LFCN is a pure sensory nerve that is susceptible to compression injury. The most common compression locations are: as it courses from the lumbosacral plexus, through the abdominal cavity, under the inguinal ligament, and into the subcutaneous tissue of the thigh. METHODS: This case series is a retrospective single-center review of six patients with medically intractable meralgia paresthetica who were treated with radiofrequency ablation. To be considered for radiofrequency ablation, the patient must have been unsuccessful with medical management alone for more than two months and have a clinical diagnosis of meralgia paresthetica. Temporary relief of pain of 50% or greater was considered a positive result. Average pain scores were measured pre- and postprocedure, along with one-, two-, three-, and six-month intervals postoperation. RESULTS: All patients demonstrated immediate relief in self-reported pain scores, averaging a 75.5% reduction in pain. At the one-, two-, three-, and six-month follow-ups, patients averaged a reduction of 60.0%, 58.0%, 51.4%, and 40.5%, respectively. Both the postop and one-month follow-up pain scores were lower, statistically significantly so (P < 0.05), whereas the two-, three-, and six-month follow-ups were not statistically different from pretreatment scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study was small, radiofrequency ablation showed a clear reduction in average pain scores in a subset of patients who had failed standard medical therapy with a reduction in pain at one-month follow-up with relief of symptoms sometimes lasting longer than 12 months.

Comparison of plate and screw constructs versus screws only for anterior distal femoral hemiepiphysiodesis in children.

The study aim was to compare methods of anterior distal femoral hemiepiphysiodesis (ADFH) for treatment of fixed knee flexion deformities in ambulatory children with neuromuscular conditions and flexed knee gait. This is a retrospective review of 47 children (14 female, 33 male, age at surgery: 12.1 ± 2.7 years) who underwent ADFH between 2009 and 2016. Subjects were grouped by ADFH construct: one transphyseal screw (N = 11), two transphyseal screws (N = 28) or plates and screws (P/S group, N = 8). Clinical/radiographic variables were analyzed using paired t tests, χ tests, multiple regression and analysis of covariance. Participants experienced significant reduction in knee flexion contractures (Δ12°, P < 0.006), with no difference among groups (P = 0.43). Postoperative knee pain was significantly more prevalent in the P/S group (5/8, 63%) than the 1-SCR group (0/11, 0%) and the 2-SCR group (2/28, 7%) (P = 0.002). ADFH results in significant reduction of knee flexion deformity and improved knee extension during gait. Plate and screw constructs, the 1 and 2 transphyseal screw techniques are equally effective, but plate and screw constructs may be associated with a higher risk of persistent postoperative knee pain.