Intravenous Ketamine as an Adjunct for Pachyonychia Congenita–Associated Pain: A Case Report

Abstract

Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare, inherited disorder of keratin filaments characterized by palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, keratoderma, and extreme pain. Management is largely symptomatic and typically involves multimodal pain control strategies. Here, we report the treatment of one 21-year-old man’s refractory neuropathic PC pain with a 4-day inpatient ketamine infusion. Within 1 night of beginning treatment, his pain diminished to a 0/10 without any adverse effects, with effects lasting 2 weeks. No reported PC pain regimens have made use of intravenous ketamine; thus, we suggest recurrent ketamine infusions as an additional option in the multimodal pain regimen for patients with PC.