Short‐Term Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Relieve Pain for Elder Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus Patients: A Retrospective Study

• Published in: Neuromodulation (Malden, Mass.) Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 1121 - 1126
• Main Authors: Wan, Cheng‐fu, Song, Tao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: 36‐item Short Form health survey; Aged; Analgesics; Clinical Research; Herpes zoster; Herpes zoster ophthalmicus; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus - complications; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus - therapy; Humans; Neuralgia; Neuralgia, Postherpetic - therapy; neuropathic pain; numeric rating scale; Pain; Patients; PERIPHERAL NERVE STIMULATION; Peripheral Nerves; Peripheral neuropathy; Retrospective Studies; Side effects; Tramadol; neuropathic pain; numeric rating scale; herpes zoster ophthalmicus; peripheral nerve stimulation; 36-item Short Form health survey
• DOI: 10.1111/ner.13288
• ISSN: 1094-7159; 1525-1403

Objective Ophthalmic postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the final stage of herpes zoster (HZ) ophthalmicus and a severe refractory neuropathic pain, thus there is no curative treatment that could alleviate pain and reduce the incidence of ophthalmic PHN now. The purpose of this study is to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of short‐term peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) for elder patients with HZ ophthalmicus. Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective study from March 2015 to August 2019 in our pain department. All the HZ ophthalmicus patients underwent supraorbital nerve short‐term PNS were included. The patients' data, including numeric rating scale (NRS), 36‐Item short form health survey (SF‐36), and analgesic consumptions, were retrospectively analyzed. Severe side effects also were recorded. Results A total of 68 patients were enrolled in this study. The NRS scores were significantly decreased at different time points after short‐term PNS compared to baseline (p < 0.001). The SF‐36 scores, including general health, social function, emotional role, mental health, bodily pain, physical functioning, physical role, and vitality, were significantly improved at different time points after treatment (p < 0.001). The average dosages of tramadol and pregabalin administered (mg/d) were both significantly reduced compared to baseline (p < 0.001). There was no bleeding, infection, pain increase, and other side effects after treatment. Conclusions Short‐term PNS is an effective and safe therapeutic alternative for elder patients with HZ ophthalmicus and could reduce the incidence of ophthalmic PHN.