Chronic subdural cortical stimulation for phantom limb pain: report of a series of two cases

AbstractPhantom limb pain is a complex, incompletely understood pain syndrome that is characterized by chronic painful paresthesias in a previous amputated body part. Limited treatment modalities exist that provide meaningful relief, including pharmacological treatments and spinal cord stimulation that are rarely successful for refractory cases. Here, we describe our two-patient cohort with recalcitrant upper extremity phantom limb pain treated with chronic subdural cortical stimulation. The patient with evidence of cortical reorganization and almost 60  years of debilitating phantom limb pain experienced sustained analgesic relief at a follow-up period of 6 months. The second patient became tolerant to the stimulation and his pain returned to baseline at a 1-month follow-up. Our unique case series report adds to the growing body of literature su ggesting critical appraisal before widespread implementation of cortical stimulation for phantom limb pain can be considered.

Source: Acta Neurochirurgica - February 21, 2019 Category: Neurosurgery Source Type: research