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Published on: January 10, 2013
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treatment of Neuropathic Pain Associated With Erythromelalgia
Laura L Matzke1, Tim J Lamer, Halena M Gazelka
1From the Division of Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Objective:
Erythromelalgia is a rare disorder associated with neuropathic pain that commonly affects the lower extremities. This pain is often refractory to multimodal treatment. Both pharmacologic management and interventional anesthetic blocks have been used with varying and often limited success. To date, little experience has been gained with the use of spinal cord stimulation in treating pain associated with erythromelalgia.
Case Report:
We present a case of successful treatment of pain secondary to erythromelalgia with a spinal cord stimulator in an 80-year-old woman. This patient had severe pain and debility secondary to erythromelalgia, having undergone trials of multiple medical therapies before presenting to our clinic. Dual-lead percutaneous spinal cord stimulation was successfully implanted without complication, leading to excellent pain control, now 18 months postimplant.
Conclusions:
Spinal cord stimulation may be a promising treatment of neuropathic pain associated with erythromelalgia.
