Peripheral nerve blocks of the supraorbital, supratrochlear or occipital nerve have been utilized for the relief of headaches, although relief may be short-lasting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of supraorbital nerve stimulation for treatment of intractable supraorbital neuralgia. Patients presenting to the pain clinic with refractory frontal headaches who responded to a diagnostic supraorbital nerve block were selected for this case series. Patients underwent a trial of supraorbital nerve stimulation, and efficacy was assessed after 5-7 days (n = 16). From the trial, 10 patients consented to undergo permanent implantation of the stimulator. Opioid consumption and headache scores were monitored preoperatively and at timed intervals for 30 weeks. Headache scores decreased, and opioid consumption was reduced in half, and these beneficial accomplishments were maintained up to 30 weeks after implantation. In selected patients, supraorbital nerve stimulation for the treatment of chronic frontal headaches appears to be efficacious.

INTRATHECAL drug delivery systems are frequently used to treat chronic pain and spasticity conditions. One of the first clinical uses of an implantable intrathecal opioid delivery device occurred in 1981 for the management of chronic malignant pain, 1 although trials of opioids for intractable cancer pain began with Wang in 1979.2 Initially utilized as a means of pain amelioration in cancer patients, intrathecal therapy now has indications that have expanded to include nonmalignant chronic pain conditions.3-6 Opioids are often utilized as an infusion agent, with the principal advantage of intrathecal delivery near the site of action within the central nervous system, increasing the therapeutic efficacy, and thus reducing the likelihood of side effects associated with other delivery modalities. The implementation of intrathecal drug delivery systems has shown efficacy in many pain states, 7,8 but complications or adverse effects may arise. Aprili et al., in a recent systematic review and metaanalysis, examined the potential risks of intrathecal catheters in cancer patients and reported rates of 2.3% (95% CI, 0.8 -6.1) and 1.4% (95% CI, 0.5-3.8) for superficial and deep infections, respectively; bleeding was found to be 0.9% (95% CI, 0 -2.0) and neurologic injury 0.4% (95% CI, 0 -1.0). 9The most significant adverse event of mortality can be associated with intrathecal opioids, and mortality rates have been reported of 0.088% at 3 days after implantation, 0.39% at 1 month, and 3.89% at 1 yr, a higher mortality rate than after spinal cord stimulation implants or after lumbar discectomy in community hospitals. 10 The purpose of presenting this case is to highlight key points essential for the diagnosis and treatment of intrathecal granulomatous masses and the vigilance required by physicians managing patients with intrathecal drug delivery systems. Case ReportA 38-yr-old female registered nurse presented to the pain medicine clinic for continued management of her chronic thoracic spine pain and possible malfunction of her intrathecal drug delivery system. The patient's past medical history was significant for depression, anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, and a SynchroMed EL Infusion Pump (Medtronic Neurologic, Minneapolis, MN) placement for chronic pain related to T4 and T5 vertebral hemangiomas. The intrathecal pump was placed 9 months before her initial visit in our clinic. She was previously evaluated by multiple pain medicine specialists, with failure to attenuate her pain complaint. Upon initial evaluation she was receiving 40 mg/ day of intrathecal morphine at a concentration of 50 mg/ml. At implantation she began therapy at 10 mg/day (20 mg/ml) but escalated to 40 mg/day. The high concentration, daily dose, and lack of analgesia prompted further evaluation of the system, which included cannulation of the catheter access port to evaluate patency of the intrathecal catheter. A lack of cerebral spinal fluid back-flow necessitated further evaluation, which included a catheter-access-port myelogram showing ...

A total of 20 consecutive patients with knee stiffness post total knee arthroplasty (TKA) underwent arthroscopic lysis of adhesions and manipulation plus indwelling epidural were evaluated retrospectively. Epidural catheters were placed preoperatively for an intended 6 weeks of postoperative analgesia to facilitate intensive physical therapy. The mean loss of knee extension immediately before incision was 13.5 ± 9.1 degrees (range, 0-35 degrees) and flexion was 77.65 ± 19.2 degrees (range, 45-125 degrees). At the 6-week and final (mean, 0.47 years) follow-up, the loss of extension was 1.5 ± 5.1 degrees (range, -10 to +7 degrees) and 5.4 ± 4.7 degrees (range, 0-15 degrees), respectively, and flexion was 99.7 ± 12.3 degrees (range, 75-120 degrees) and 98.5 ± 16.1 degrees (range, 75-130 degrees), respectively. Of the 20 patients, 2 missed their 6-week clinic visit. Improvements in motion immediately preoperative to 6-week and final follow-up were each significant (p < 0.01). At examination 6 weeks postoperatively, 94.4% of patients met the definition for clinical motion success and 70% maintained success at final follow-up. Visual analog scale improved significantly from 5.4 to 2.0 (p < 0.01) at 6 weeks postoperative in the 12 patients with this data recorded. On the basis of this data, use of tunneled epidurals with arthroscopic lysis of adhesions for arthrofibrosis after TKA is correlated with a high likelihood of functional success postoperatively as measured by range of motion improvement.

Spinal cord stimulation is a treatment modality used to treat various chronic pain conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We present a case in which spinal cord stimulation was used for the treatment of lower extremity CRPS in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis. Preoperative imaging demonstrated fusion of the lumbothoracic spine with obliteration of the interlaminar spaces. The sacral hiatus remained open and was used to access the epidural space, facilitating the placement of 2 thoracic epidural electrodes. The resulting stimulation controlled not only the patient's lower extremity CRPS pain but also alleviated his chronic axial pain secondary to ankylosing spondylitis.