Pulsed Radiofrequency for Post-Stroke Complications: From Neuromodulation to Functional Recovery

Area of Science:

• Neuromodulation
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Stroke complications significantly impact patient recovery and quality of life.
• Current rehabilitation strategies have limitations in addressing complex post-stroke sequelae.
• Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is an emerging neuromodulation technique with potential therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize the mechanisms, applications, and evidence gaps of PRF in post-stroke complication rehabilitation.
• To guide the standardized integration of PRF into clinical practice.
• To evaluate the current evidence base for PRF in stroke recovery.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing preclinical and clinical studies on PRF for post-stroke complications.
• Analysis of PRF's neuromodulatory mechanisms and multi-target effects.
• Evaluation of clinical outcomes, safety profiles, and evidence quality.

Main Results:

• PRF modulates neuronal excitability without thermal damage, impacting microcirculation, neuroinflammation, and neurotrophic factors.
• Clinical benefits include alleviation of refractory post-stroke pain, potential amelioration of depression, and facilitation of motor recovery.
• Image-guided PRF targeting specific nerves shows a favorable safety profile.

Conclusions:

• PRF demonstrates promising outcomes for various post-stroke complications, particularly pain management.
• Current evidence is limited by small sample sizes and reliance on preclinical data.
• Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are essential to validate long-term efficacy and safety for standardized integration.