Deactivation of distant pain-related regions induced by 20-day rTMS: a case study of one-week pain relief for long-term intractable deafferentation pain.
BACKGROUND
Deafferentation pain secondary to brachial plexus avulsion, spinal cord injury, and other peripheral nerve injuries is often refractory to conventional treatments. Stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) has been proven to be an effective treatment for intractable deafferentation pain. The mechanisms underlying the attenuation of deafferentation pain by motor cortex stimulation remain hypothetical.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this case report is to: (1) summarize a case in which a patient suffering chronic intractable deafferentation pain for 25 years underwent rTMS treatment over M1, (2) describe the evidence from PET imaging, and (3) reveal a possible relief mechanism with cortical plasticity.


METHODS
Case report.


METHODS
University hospital.


RESULTS
This patient had successful pain control with no transient or lasting side effects. The pain relief remained stable for at least one week. At the end of the 20-day procedure, pain relief was obtained according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (-34.6%) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) (-31.6%). In the PET/CT scans, the glucose metabolism was significantly reduced contralaterally to the pain side in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula, and caudate nucleus. There was no statistically significant difference in any other cortical area.


CONCLUSIONS
Single case of a patient with long-term intractable deafferentation pain having a PET study.


CONCLUSIONS
This study implies that a single session of 20 Hz rTMS over the motor cortex could reduce the pain level in patients suffering from long-term, intractable deafferentation pain. The stimulation of the M1 induces deactivation in the ACC, insula, and caudate nucleus. The changes in these pain-related regions may mirror an adaptive mechanism to pain relief after rTMS treatment.
Yan-Qun
YQ
Qiu
Xu-Yun
XY
Hua
Chang-Tao
CT
Zuo
Tie
T
Li
Mou-Xiong
MX
Zheng
Yun-Dong
YD
Shen
Jian-Guang
JG
Xu
Yu-Dong
YD
Gu
Paolo Maria
PM
Rossini
Department of Hand Surgery, Hua-Shan Hspital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Wen-Dong
WD
Xu
D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*
D000700:Analgesics; D005947:Glucose