Editor-in-Chief: Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD, PhD
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BACKGROUND: Peripheral neuropathy is a leading cause of chronic pain and can result in cephalalgia when upper cervical nerves or their branches are injured. This condition often shows resistance to typical treatment methods used for long-term pain management. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is an effective way to treat neuropathic pain; however, there’s limited literature available regarding the wireless modality at the cervical level.
CASE REPORT: This was a retrospective case series involving 3 patients who received wireless PNS at the C2-C3 level for treating occipital neuralgia and/or axial neck pain. Average Visual Analog Scale scores decreased by 63.9% after trial (P < 0.001) and 78.3% (P < 0.001) at one-year postpermanent implantation.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study adds to the growing evidence supporting wireless PNS as an efficacious intervention at the cervical level for patients with occipital neuralgia-induced neuropathic pain who fail conventional management.
KEY WORDS: Peripheral nerve stimulation, headache, occipital neuralgia, chronic pain, case series
