Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Postoperative Abdominal Pain: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND

Chronic postoperative abdominal pain (CPAP) is a common condition that significantly affects patients' lives with increased gastrointestinal symptoms and decreased quality of life (QoL). Management of CPAP continues to be challenging, and adequate analgesia remains difficult to achieve.

CASE REPORT: A 77-year-old woman with a history of multiple abdominal surgeries presented with chronic right-sided abdominal wall pain with possible causalgia. After failing multiple interventions, dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S) at the T8-T9 level provided significant relief.

CONCLUSIONS

We present a case of a female patient with a history of multiple abdominal surgeries and CPAP, who experienced successful pain relief through DRG-S. Emerging research suggests that neuromodulations consisting of spinal cord stimulator (SCS) or DRG-S may be effective in managing visceral abdominal and pelvic pain caused by repeated distension and hyperalgesia, though more robust research studies are needed.