PMID- 28727708 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20180608 LR - 20220318 IS - 2150-1149 (Electronic) IS - 1533-3159 (Linking) VI - 20 IP - 5 DP - 2017 Jul TI - Efficacy of Short-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation in Acute/Subacute Zoster-Related Pain: A Retrospective Study. PG - E633-E645 AB - BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a refractory condition that impairs the patient's quality of life (QoL), it develops secondary to herpes zoster infection. Therefore, it's important to prevent the transition of acute/subacute zoster-related pain to PHN. Despite of numerous studies, the optimal intervention that reduces PHN incidence is still unknown. OBJECTIVE: We evaluate the efficacy of short-term spinal cord stimulation (stSCS) in patients with refractory acute/subacute zoster-related pain. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center/teaching hospital. METHODS: A total of 46 patients who presented with acute/subacute zoster-related pain, and had previously failed conventional therapies, underwent stSCS treatment. Visual analog scale (VAS), Short Form Health Survey 12 items (SF-12), and analgesic consumptions were recorded before stSCS, post-stSCS, 2 weeks, and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after stimulation. RESULTS: The VAS scores at post-stSCS, 2 weeks, and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after stSCS treatment were significantly decreased compared with the baseline score (P < 0.001). Thirty-two patients (69.6%, 32/46) achieved the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), including 18 patients (39.1%, 18/46) who achieved complete pain relief (VASless than orequal to2). During the follow-up period, the efficacy of stSCS didn't decrease and VAS scores were declining. Similarly, SF-12 scores and analgesic consumptions improved after stSCS treatment. The efficacy of stSCS did not differ significantly among patients with different durations of acute/subacute zoster-related pain starting from the onset of rash. No serious adverse effects were observed in the entire follow-up period. LIMITATIONS: This study was not a randomized prospective controlled study. We did not compare the outcomes with patients presenting with mild or moderate pain, and did not compare the efficacy of stSCS treatment with conventional therapies. CONCLUSIONS: stSCS is a safe, effective, and less invasive analgesic method for patients with refractory acute/subacute zoster-related pain. KEY WORDS: Herpes zoster, zoster-related pain, postherpetic neuralgia, spinal cord stimulation, VAS. FAU - Dong, Dao-Song AU - Dong DS AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Yu, Xue AU - Yu X AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Wan, Cheng-Fu AU - Wan CF AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Liu, Yan AU - Liu Y AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Zhao, Lin AU - Zhao L AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Xi, Qi AU - Xi Q AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Cui, Wen-Yao AU - Cui WY AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Wang, Qiu-Shi AU - Wang QS AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. FAU - Song, Tao AU - Song T AD - The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China. LA - eng PT - Journal Article PL - United States TA - Pain Physician JT - Pain physician JID - 100954394 SB - IM MH - Acute Pain/etiology/*therapy MH - Aged MH - Aged, 80 and over MH - Female MH - Herpes Zoster/*complications MH - Humans MH - Male MH - Middle Aged MH - Neuralgia, Postherpetic/etiology/*therapy MH - *Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care MH - Retrospective Studies MH - Spinal Cord Stimulation/*methods EDAT- 2017/07/21 06:00 MHDA- 2018/06/09 06:00 CRDT- 2017/07/21 06:00 PHST- 2017/07/21 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2017/07/21 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2018/06/09 06:00 [medline] PST - ppublish SO - Pain Physician. 2017 Jul;20(5):E633-E645.