DRG Spinal Cord Stimulation as Solution for Patients With Severe Pain Due to Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome: A Case Series.

OBJECTIVES

Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome (ACNES) is a debilitating neuropathic pain condition. A small portion of patients do not respond to any currently available treatment modalities. These patients, often young women, might benefit from targeted spinal cord stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG).

METHODS

This retrospective case series describes five ACNES patients who were referred from a Dutch dedicated tertiary referral center to collaborating sites with extensive experience in DRG stimulation to be implanted with a DRG Axium System (St. Jude/Abbott, IL, USA) in the period of 2013-2016. Numeric pain rating scores at routine 6- and 12-month follow-up visits were analyzed.

RESULTS

Three patients experienced >50% pain reduction at 12 months follow-up. Four patients experienced device-related complications, such as lead dislocation, lead breakage, pain at the battery site, and overstimulation.

CONCLUSIONS

This case series suggests DRG spinal cord stimulation can be safe and effective for some patients with persistent pain due to ACNES.