Interventional Radiofrequency Treatment for the Sympathetic Nervous System: A Review Article

Pulsed Radiofrequency of Stellate Ganglion for Neuropathic Pain Associated with Recurrent Pleural Leiomyosarcoma - A Case Report

“…[11,12] Various tools have been used to guide PRF of SG and include the use of fluoroscopy, CT, or ultrasound. [4][5][6][7]13,14] Ultrasound guidance was easier and safer, [13] with significantly lesser time of procedure. [14] In our case, we have used fluoroscopy as we were commonly preferring it at that time of doing this case 3 years ago.…”

“…[4][5][6][7] While the RFA functions by providing alternate current thereby generating destructive heat in the range of 45-90°C, the PRF does it by producing two short bursts of current (20 ms) 2 times per second with production of temperature below 45°C. [6] Hence, PRF produces lesser destruction of nerve or other surrounding structures when compared to RFA making it a better option particularly in cases where nerve damage already exists. [6,8] PRF treatment is gaining popularity in the past few years because of these advantages.…”

“…[4] Furthermore, PRF has been applied in various clinical scenarios with promising results in the last few years. [5][6][7] Nevertheless, only a few case reports/ series or clinical studies are available in the literature for its application in SG. To the best of our knowledge, no case has been reported so far on application of PRF in SG for neuropathic pain due to a pleural malignancy encroaching cervical roots (rhizotomy is usually preferred) that too with a follow-up for 3 years.…”

Letter to the Editor: Radiofrequency Treatment—Newer Modes and Long-term Effects

“…To The Editor, I read the review article on interventional radiofrequency (RF) treatment for various sympathetic mediated pain conditions (SMP) published in the January 2021 issue of Pain and Therapy with profound interest [1]. I have much appreciation for the authors who produced this wonderful review article on this topic.…”

“…In their review article, Zacharias et al mentioned that two forms of RF procedures, namely continuous RF (CRF) and pulsed RF (PRF), are available [1]. However, two other forms of RF procedures, namely cooled RF and bipolar RF, have also been introduced into clinical practice in the last few years [2][3][4].…”