Purpose To prospectively evaluate percutaneous image-guided nerve cryoablation for treatment of refractory phantom limb pain (PLP) in a pilot cohort for purposes of deriving parameters to design a larger, randomized, parallel-armed, controlled trial. Materials and Methods From January 2015 to January 2016, 21 patients with refractory PLP underwent image-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis procedures. Visual analog scale scores were documented at baseline and 7, 45, and 180 days after the procedure. Responses to a modified Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire were documented at baseline and 7 and 45 days after the procedure. Results Technical success rate of the procedures was 100%. There were 6 (29%) minor procedure-related complications. Disability scores decreased from a baseline mean of 11.3 to 3.3 at 45-day follow-up (95% confidence interval 5.8, 10.3; P < .0001). Pain intensity scores decreased from a baseline mean of 6.2 to 2.0 at long-term follow-up (95% confidence interval 2.8, 5.6; P < .0001). Conclusions Image-guided percutaneous nerve cryoablation is feasible and safe and may represent a new efficacious therapeutic option for patients with phantom pains related to limb loss.

Hip MRI is equally suited for diagnosis of complete ligamentum teres tears when compared with MR arthrography. By contrast, for partial or degenerative ligamentum teres tears, MR arthrography offers the advantage of better arthroscopic correlation.

In the Medicare population, the most common musculoskeletal extremity imaging modalities increased substantially in utilization over the 2-decade period from 1994 through 2013. Throughout that time, radiology remained the most common billing specialty, and the physician office and hospital outpatient settings remained the most common sites of service. These insights may have implications for radiology practice leaders in making decisions regarding capital infrastructure, workforce, and training investments to ensure the provision of optimal imaging services for extremity musculoskeletal care.

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Purpose-To prospectively evaluate percutaneous image-guided nerve cryoablation for treatment of refractory phantom limb pain (PLP) in a pilot cohort for purposes of deriving parameters to design a larger, randomized, parallel-armed, controlled trial. Materials and Methods-FromJanuary 2015 to January 2016, 21 patients with refractory PLP underwent image-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis procedures. Visual analog scale scores were documented at baseline and 7, 45, and 180 days after the procedure. Responses to a modified Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire were documented at baseline and 7 and 45 days after the procedure.Results-Technical success rate of the procedures was 100%. There were 6 (29%) minor procedure-related complications. Disability scores decreased from a baseline mean of 11.3 to 3.3 at 45-day follow-up (95% confidence interval 5.8, 10.3; P < .0001). Pain intensity scores decreased from a baseline mean of 6.2 to 2.0 at long-term follow-up (95% confidence interval 2.8, 5.6; P < .0001).Conclusions-Image-guided percutaneous nerve cryoablation is feasible and safe and may represent a new efficacious therapeutic option for patients with phantom pains related to limb loss.Approximately 185,000 amputations are performed each year in the United States, and studies estimate that nearly 3.6 million people will be living with limb loss worldwide by 2050 (1,2). A common complaint among amputees is phantom limb pain (PLP), a phenomenon in which unpleasant sensations, often painful and severe, are perceived to originate from an absent limb. PLP occurs in 50%-80% of amputees, and there is no consistent evidence to support any specific pain control modality or intervention in this setting (1,(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). The objectives of this study were to (a) evaluate the safety and feasibility of HHS Public Access Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript a separated 2-step procedural methodology consisting of computed tomography (CT)-guided perineural diagnostic injection and cryoablation in the setting of refractory PLP; (b) confirm the reproducibility of treatment response in relation to the findings of previous studies; and (c) derive estimates for key study parameters, such as recruitment rates, potentially confounding variables, and the treatment effect and its variation to inform the planning and design of a larger, parallel-armed, randomized controlled clinical trial investigating the efficacy of cryoablation for the treatment of PLP. MATERIALS AND METHODSThis study was approved by the university institutional review board and complied with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The trial was registered before patient enrollment on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02366832). SubjectsSubjects were recruited from January 2015 to January 2016 from local vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation practices. All patients reported phantom pains and/or unwanted sensations related to a previously amputated upper or lower limb that were refr...