Cryoanalgesia for shoulder pain: a motor-sparing approach to rotator cuff disease

Rotator cuff disease is a common cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability, and the management can be challenging. Joint denervation emerges as a new technique, but the literature on shoulder neural ablation procedure is largely limited to pulsed radiofrequency due to the concern of motor impairment. We described a novel motor-sparing approach of cryoablation for the management of shoulder pain based on the recent literature on the innervation of shoulder.

Four patients with a history of rotator cuff disease refractory to conservative therapy and not amenable to surgery underwent a ultrasound-guided cryoablation of the capsular branches of the shoulder joint after a positive diagnostic injection. The target articular branches were based on the anatomical landmarks described in recent publication. They were the acromial, superior and inferior branches of the suprascapular nerve, the anterior branch of the axillary nerve, the nerve to the subscapularis, which were all located around the superior, posterior and anterior glenoid. The lateral pectoral nerve articular branch was targeted at the coracoclavicular space.

All four patients experienced at least 60% pain relief with improvement in function for 6-12 months following the procedure without any clinical evidence of motor impairment. No adverse effect was observed.

Based on the current understanding of the glenohumeral joint articular branches and their relationship to the bony landmark, targeting the articular branches only was feasible and led to good outcomes. Further large prospective cohort study is needed.