title: Deep brain stimulation for the alleviation of post-stroke neuropathic pain.
abstract: Our aim was to asses the efficacy of deep brain stimulation in post-stroke neuropathic pain. Since 2000, 15 patients with post-stroke intractable neuropathic pain were treated with deep brain stimulation of the periventricular gray area (PVG), sensory thalamus (Ventroposterolateral nucleus-VPL) or both. Pain was assessed using both a visual analogue scale and the McGill's pain questionnaire. VAS scores show a mean improvement of 48.8% (SD 8.6%). However, there is a wide variation between patients. This study demonstrates that it is an effective treatment in 70% of such patients.
authors.affiliation: University Laboratory of Physiology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Department of Neurological Surgery, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah L F
authors.initials: SLF
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Tipu Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Aziz
mesh_terms: D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome