Korean J Anesthesiol.  2007 Jun;52(6):733-736. 10.4097/kjae.2007.52.6.733.

Cervical Spinal Cord Stimulation in a Patient with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 2 at the Middle Finger: A case report

• Seo KW
• Choi SS
• Lee HJ
• Koo EH
• Kim HZ
• Oh HR
• Kim NS

• KMID: 2299173
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2007.52.6.733

Abstract

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is quite difficult to comprehend and manage, of which etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms have not been fully understood. CRPS is classified as either type 1 (without any known nerve injury) or type 2 (with apparent nerve or tissue injury). Spinal cord stimulation is a restorative therapy that currently offers the best chances of obtaining long-term pain relief in CRPS patients with pain that has not responded to other treatments such as physical therapy or analgesic medications. A 45 years old male patient referred to our pain clinic due to uncontrolled pain at the middle finger for 4 years after crushing injury. He was diagnosed with CRPS type 2 and treated with medication, stellate ganglion block, thoracic sympathetic block, and pulsed radiofrequency therapy, but their effects were transient and not satisfactory. A percutaneous spinal cord stimulation (SCS) with a single quadripolar electrode was tried and the patient's finger pain was improved significantly (from VAS 10 to 2). SCS is an effective treatment for CRPS type 2 which results from crushing injury when alternative therapies fail.

Keyword

complex regional pain syndrome type 2; spinal cord stimulation

MeSH Terms

Complementary Therapies
Electrodes
Fingers*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pain Clinics
Spinal Cord Stimulation*
Spinal Cord*
Stellate Ganglion