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Peripheral nerve stimulation for saphenous neuralgia.
Meghan McCullough1, Deborah Kenney2, Catherine Curtin3
1Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA Meghan.McCullough@cshs.org.
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
|December 5, 2023
Summary
Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) shows promise for treating saphenous neuralgia, a chronic pain condition often resulting from knee surgery. This study found that PNS improved pain, function, mood, and sleep in most patients, suggesting it as a viable non-pharmacologic option.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pain Management
- Surgical Innovation
Background:
- Saphenous nerve injury is a common complication of knee surgery, leading to challenging chronic pain (saphenous neuralgia).
- Current treatment options for saphenous neuralgia are limited and often insufficient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) as a non-pharmacologic treatment for saphenous neuralgia.
- To assess patient-reported outcomes following PNS implantation for saphenous neuralgia.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 12 patients who underwent PNS for saphenous neuralgia between 2000 and 2022.
- Collection of demographic data and patient-reported outcome measurement information system (PROMIS) scores (pain interference, functional mobility, depression, anxiety, sleep) pre- and post-procedure.
- Primary outcome measured by change in pain interference at 6 months post-procedure.
Main Results:
- 83% of patients reported symptom improvement with PNS.
- Significant improvements were observed in PROMIS scores for pain interference, functional mobility, mood, and sleep impairment at 6 months.
- Mean change in pain interference score at 6 months was 5.8 (SD 6.5) in 10 patients with full follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) demonstrates potential as an effective treatment for saphenous neuralgia.
- Further comparative effectiveness studies are needed to validate the clinical relevance of these findings.
