Korean J Pain.  2015 Jan;28(1):57-60. 10.3344/kjp.2015.28.1.57.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Intractable Visceral Pain Due to Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction

• Lee KH
• Lee SE
• Jung JW
• Jeon SY

• KMID: 2278254
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2015.28.1.57

Abstract

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) is a syndrome of chronic biliary pain or recurrent pancreatitis due to the functional obstruction of the pancreaticobiliary flow. We report a case of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic abdominal pain due to SOD. The patient had a history of cholecystectomy and had suffered from chronic right upper quadrant abdominal pain. The patient had been diagnosed as having SOD. The patient was treated with opioid analgesics and nerve blocks, including a splanchnic nerve block. However, two years later, the pain became intractable. We implanted percutaneous SCS at the T5-7 level for this patient. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain and the amount of opioid intake decreased. The patient was tracked for more than six months without significant complications. From our clinical case, SCS is an effective and alternative treatment option for SOD. Further studies and long-term follow-up are necessary to understand the effectiveness and the limitations of SCS on SOD.

Keyword

Endoscopic; Intractable; Pain; Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction; Sphincterotomy; Spinal cord stimulation; Splanchnic nerves; Visceral pain

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain
Analgesics, Opioid
Cholecystectomy
Humans
Nerve Block
Pancreatitis
Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction*
Spinal Cord Stimulation*
Splanchnic Nerves
Visceral Pain*
Visual Analog Scale
Analgesics, Opioid

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Anteroposterior radiograph showing a SCS lead placement at T5-7.

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