Neuropathic Pain due to Neurofibromatosis Treated With Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in a Pregnant Patient: A Case Report

Abstract

A patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 presented to the pain clinic with neuropathic pain. Thoracolumbar magnetic resonance imagining revealed meningocele T12–L2 with cauda equina distortion. After becoming pregnant, the patient interrupted opioid treatment, refusing pharmacological treatment until the pain became unbearable. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was proposed. The patient used this treatment from the first trimester until month 6 postpartum, achieving good analgesia without any adverse effects for the mother or child. TENS may be a viable treatment for neuropathic pain (NP) during pregnancy. However, more data are needed due to the difficulty of conducting clinical trials in this population.