Pain Physician

Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guidelines for Implantable Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS) in the Management of Chronic Pain: From the American Society Of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP)
Manchikanti L, Sanapati MR, Soin A, Kaye AD, Kaye AM, Solanki DR, Chen GH, Nampiaparampil D, Knezevic NN, Christo P, Bautista A, Karri J, Shah S, Helm Ii S, Navani A, Wargo BW, Gharibo CG, Rosenblum D, Luthra K, Patel KG, Javed S, Reuland W, Gupta M, Abd-Elsayed A, Limerick G, Pasupuleti R, Schwartz G, Chung M, Slavin KV, Pampati V and Hirsch JA
Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) has been used for over 50 years to treat chronic pain by delivering electrical pulses through small electrodes placed near targeted peripheral nerves those outside the brain and spinal cord. Early PNS systems often required invasive neurosurgical procedures. However, since 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved percutaneously implanted PNS leads and neurostimulators  offering a much less invasive, non-opioid option for managing recalcitrant chronic pain. The following FDA-cleared PNS systems are commercially available in the United States for the management of chronic, intractable pain:•    Freedom® Peripheral Nerve Stimulator (PNS) System (Curonix LLC, 2017) •    StimRouter® Neuromodulation System (Bioness, now Bioventus, 2015)•    SPRINT® PNS System (SPR® Therapeutics, Inc., 2016) •    Nalu™ Neurostimulation System (Nalu Medical Inc., 2019)•    ReActiv8® Implantable Neurostimulation System (Mainstay Medical Limited, 2020) The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) has published evidence-based consensus guidelines for the application of PNS systems in managing chronic pain.
Extended vs. Traditional Operating Table in C-Arm-Guided Percutaneous Balloon Compression of the Gasserian Ganglion for Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Prospective Study
You F, Chen R, Chen M, Xu X, You R, Jiang X and Zeng H
The degree of cervical extension required during percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) of the Gasserian ganglion for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) varies among patients, but the traditional operating tables often fail to fulfil each patient's individual requirements.
Prevalence, Risk Factors and Pain Subtypes of Post-COVID Pain in Nonhospitalized Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Wang C, Yan M, Li Y, Wang H, Han L, Liu Y, Wu F and Wang B
Post-COVID pain (PCP) is a condition that ensues from an infection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some researchers have explored the prevalence of PCP and its characteristics in the individuals who experience it. However, most individuals involved in the previous studies were middle-aged, and those studies focused mainly on hospital patients and musculoskeletal PCP. Existing data on PCP and its subtypes among older adults and outpatients are scanty.
Long-term Follow-up of the Effectiveness and Safety of High-voltage Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment for Infraorbital Neuralgia: A Retrospective Study
Sun Z, Liu L, Wang T and Luo F
Infraorbital neuralgia is a refractory facial pain that may cause various psychological disorders. There is no optimal treatment for infraorbital neuralgia because few relevant studies have been conducted. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a minimally invasive procedure that has been proven effective in treating trigeminal neuralgia and other painful diseases. Our previous study demonstrated that high-voltage PRF was effective in patients with infraorbital neuralgia. However, there is little literature on the long-term follow-up of infraorbital neuralgia treated with high-voltage PRF with a large sample size.
Cost-Utility Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablation Among Facet Joint-Related Chronic Low Back Pain Patients in Thailand
Sittimart M, Butani D, Poonsiri C, Korakot M, Nalongsack M, Chalermkitpanit P, Euasobhon P, Pasutharnchat K, Nimmaanrat S, Kanjanapanang N and Teerawattananon Y
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a common secondary treatment recommended for facet joint-related chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, Thailand still lacks sufficient evidence of RFA's cost-effectiveness to support the decision to fund it.
In Errata
Asipp
National and Geographic Trends in Medicare Reimbursement for Pain Management 2014-2023
Wiest G, Dorius A, Bateman C and Day M
Increasing enrollment in Medicare has coincided with reductions in reimbursement for various procedures, including interventional pain procedures. No previous analysis of state-to-state differences in Medicare reimbursement rates for practicing pain management physicians has been performed.
Percutaneous Intradiscal Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation Combined with Sinuvertebral Nerve Ablation for the Treatment of Discogenic Low Back Pain
Li Q, Yang J, Liu T, Liu B, Li D, Huang W, Geng B, Xia Y, Hao D and He B
Percutaneous intervertebral radiofrequency thermocoagulation (PIRFT) and sinuvertebral nerve ablation (SVNA) are commonly used clinical treatments for discogenic low back pain (DLBP). However, they have been reported to have low efficacy rates of approximately 16.5%-26.5%, especially in the medium to long term.
Comment on "Short-Term Supraorbital Nerve Stimulation and Pain Relief for Acute and Subacute Ophthalmic Herpetic Neuralgia: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial"
Li H, Zhou H and Ye L
Comment on "Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation of the Genicular Nerves of the Knee for the Management of Intractable Pain from Knee Osteoarthritis"
Dogan NH, Sencan S, Kokar S and Gunduz OH
In Response to Comment on "Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation of the Genicular Nerves of the Knee for the Management of Intractable Pain from Knee Osteoarthritis"
Chang MC
Comment on "Chronic Low Back Pain and Sleep Disturbance in Adults in the US: The NHANES 2009-2010 Study"
Chen H, Yang J and Zhang Q
Comments on "A Comprehensive Overview of the Stellate Ganglion Block Throughout the Past Three Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis"
Lipov EG
In Response to Comment on "A Comprehensive Overview of the Stellate Ganglion Block Throughout the Past Three Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis"
Kong H
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Using High-frequency Electromagnetic Coupling (HF-EMC) Technology to Power an Implanted Neurostimulator With a Separate Receiver for Treating Peripheral Neuropathy
Lin E
Peripheral neuropathy is estimated to be prevalent in up to 12% of the population, increasing to 30% in older demographics. This makes peripheral neuropathy one of the most common neurological diseases in the United States.
Efficacy Analysis of Temporary Spinal Cord Stimulation in the Treatment of Refractory Postherpetic Neuralgia
Li X, Wang Y, Chen K and Zou D
Spinal cord stimulation can be considered in PHN patients if conservative treatment is not effective. However, the long-term pain outcomes of temporary (7-14 days) spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) in refractory PHN patients with a course of more than 3 months have not been  documented.
Delineating the Hurtful, Engaging, Emotive, and Directive (HEED) Dimensions of Pain. Characterization for Clinical Relevance
Giordano J and Shook JR
Pain is an objective, natural reality among sentient creatures that possess cognition and mobility sufficient for apprehending and acting upon its full significance. Defining pain mostly in mental terms makes sense for self-conscious psychology and vocabulary. Pain as a natural capacity among animals did not evolve merely to be aligned with human semantics and intuitions. Much about pain operates beneath the level of accessible and explicit consciousness, and pain as a sensory feeling probably arose before mammalian cognition. Pain should not be viewed as just a simple sensation of utter subjectivity. It displays qualitative variance, degrees of intensity, fluctuating durations, and deflects and/or captures attention. These features of pain situate it prominently within awareness amidst the myriad physical feelings and emotions that influence behavior. The significance of pain cannot omit felt painfulness, and pain wouldn't be painful without its urgent significance for redirecting bodily activity. Most pain shares characteristics of being hurtful, engaging, emotive, and directive (i.e.,- HEED). So delineated, pain evolved to be HEED-ed. Our proposed operational delimitation at first glance appears to be physiological, but its reliance upon the bio-psychosocial actuality of the painient organism renders it inter-theoretically reducible and expandable. This delineation of pain necessitates its being HEED-ed by the organism in which it occurs; and hence ethically heeded by those who profess to study and treat it.
Effectiveness Analysis of Awake Computed Tomography-Guided Double-Needle Percutaneous Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation for the Treatment of Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
Liu Z, Fu L, Fan J, Ma L, Bu H, Liu Q, Li X, Wang J, Yuan J and Fan X
Percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation (PRT) is an established treatment for glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN). However, the effectiveness of conventional single-needle PRT is limited due to the glossopharyngeal nerve's unique anatomical location.
A Novel Sequential Percutaneous Radiofrequency Treatment Strategy for Drug-refractory Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Propensity Score-matched Study
Ren H, Wang Y, Chen Z, Zhang Y, Ma GF and Luo F
Gasserian ganglion-targeted conventional and pulsed radiofrequency treatments are percutaneous procedures performed for drug-refractory trigeminal neuralgia. However, ideal outcomes are not always achieved with these procedures; frequent postprocedural complications and therapeutic ineffectiveness are also of major concern.
Single Institutional Cross-Sectional Phone Survey Study: Evaluation of Causes for Loss to Follow-up After Spinal Cord Stimulator Implantation
Kang K, Glicksman M, Ho J, Hoang K, Phung A, Madabhushi S, Hasoon J, Yazdi C, Fonseca AC, Kaye AD, Schatman ME, Gill J, Simopoulos T and Robinson CL
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is often an option of last resort for patients with post-laminectomy syndrome or an alternative option for patients with complex regional pain syndrome, chronic nonsurgical low back pain, or painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy when conservative management has failed. Although SCS is a helpful option, it is not without complications that can frequently lead to explantation of the SCS device and dissatisfaction with the treatment. Furthermore, as with any technology, SCS has potential issues that may lead to patient frustration and ultimately result in patient noncompliance and lack of follow-up visits.
Short-Term Trigeminal Ganglion Stimulation in Patients with Multi-Branch Trigeminal Herpetic Neuralgia: A Pilot Study
Zhang Y, Wu Y, Jiang C, Yang Z, Zhang X, Zhang D, Yang F and Yan Y
Trigeminal herpetic neuralgia (THN) presents with severe pain hyperalgesia and is a high-risk factor for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The current clinical treatments for THN are unsatisfactory, and new treatments are desperately required.