Background: In the pediatric population, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating chronic pain syndrome that is classically treated with escalating polypharmacy and physical therapy. Failure of therapy is often encountered in both adult and pediatric patients with CRPS, after which invasive neuromodulatory therapy might be considered. Intrathecal drug delivery systems and spinal cord stimulation (SCS) have been reported in the literature as forms of neuromodulation effective in adult CRPS; however, SCS remains inadequately researched and underreported in the pediatric CRPS population. Owing to the differences in patient population characteristics and the specific vulnerability of adolescents to drugs that might be used to manage refractory cases, including but not limited to opioids, we believe that early effective pain management without the use of chronic pain medications is of paramount importance. Methods: Recent evidence suggests that neuromodulation can be useful toward improving function and managing pain, while also reducing medication use in chronic pain patients. A representative case a review of the literature is performed. Results: We report the effective treatment of CRPS in a pediatric patient following implantation of an SCS device typifying the improved pain scores, decreased medication use, and substantially improved functional abilities in pediatric patients following SCS. Conclusions: The manuscript objective is to stimulate a discussion for SCS use earlier in the therapeutic management of CRPS in children. &

OBJECTIVEThe grid-based orthogonal placement of depth electrodes (DEs), initially defined by Jean Talairach and Jean Bancaud, is known as stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG). Although acceptance in the United States was initially slow, advances in imaging and technology have spawned a proliferation of North American epilepsy centers offering sEEG. Despite publications highlighting minimal access techniques and varied indications, standard work for phase I targeted DE has not been defined. In this article, the authors propose the term “dynamic sEEG” and define standard work tools and related common data elements to promote uniformity in the field.METHODSA multidisciplinary approach from July to August 2016 resulted in the production of 4 standard work tools for dynamic sEEG using ROSA: 1) a 34-page illustrated manual depicting a detailed workflow; 2) a planning form to collocate all the phase I data; 3) a naming convention for DEs that encodes the data defining it; and 4) a reusable portable perioperative planning and documentation board. A retrospective review of sEEG case efficiency was performed comparing those using standard work tools (between July 2016 and April 2017) with historical controls (between March 2015 and June 2016). The standard work tools were then instituted at another epilepsy surgery center, and the results were recorded.RESULTSThe process for dynamic sEEG was formally reviewed, including anesthesia, positioning, perioperative nursing guidelines, surgical steps, and postoperative care for the workflow using cranial fixation and ROSA-guided placement. There was a 40% improvement in time per electrode, from 44.7 ± 9.0 minutes to 26.9 ± 6.5 minutes (p = 0.0007) following the development and use of the manual, the naming convention, and the reusable portable perioperative planning and documentation board. This standardized protocol was implemented at another institution and yielded a time per electrode of 22.3 ± 4.4 minutes.CONCLUSIONSThe authors propose the term dynamic sEEG for stereotactic depth electrodes placed according to phase I workup data with the intention of converting to ablation. This workflow efficiency can be optimized using the standard work tools presented. The authors also propose a novel naming convention that encodes critical data and allows portability among providers. Use of a planning form for common data elements optimizes research, and global adoption could facilitate multicenter studies correlating phase I modality and seizure onset zone identification.

MR-guided laser interstitial therapy (MRgLITT) is becoming more commonly used for minimal access approaches to intracranial lesions of all etiologies. The short-term safety profile of MRgLITT is favorable compared with sweeping incisions and open craniotomies, especially for lesions located in deep, periventricular, and highly eloquent areas. The Visualase software (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) has multiple adaptations to assist with this safety margin, including the thermal damage estimate (TDE), which applies predictive mathematical modeling to a two-dimensional (2D) graphical representation. TDE has been shown to highly correlate with actual tissue destruction in a priori MRgLITT cases and to anecdotally be imprecise when MRgLITT is combined with biopsy. We present a case regarding a 17-year-old male patient with intractable focal epilepsy. He underwent stereotactic biopsy and then ablation where it was shown that TDE is ~35% larger in the coronal plane than in the actual ablation zone. Air may have caused this artifact in the biopsy cavity, which affected the proton resonance frequency (PRF) and caused TDE pigment deposition. We believe in the need for a more comprehensive understanding and investigation regarding this TDE artifact. Future prospective studies into MRgLITT should attend carefully in cases where it is combined with biopsy.