title: MRI-guided cryoablation of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve for the treatment of neuropathy-mediated sitting pain.
abstract: Neuropathy of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve may manifest as pain and paresthesia in the skin over the inferior buttocks, posterior thigh, and popliteal region. Current treatment options include physical and oral pain therapy, perineural injections, and surgical neurectomy. Perineural steroid injections may provide short-term pain relief; however, to our knowledge, there is currently no minimally invasive denervation procedure for sustained pain relief that could serve as an alternative to surgical neurectomy. Percutaneous cryoablation of nerves is a minimally invasive technique that induces a sustained nerve conduction block through temporary freezing of the neural layers. It can result in long-lasting pain relief, but has not been described for the treatment of neuropathy-mediated PFCN pain. We report a technique of MR-guided cryoablation of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve resulting in successful treatment of PFCN-mediated sitting pain. Cryoablation of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve seems a promising, minimally invasive treatment option that deserves further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Section of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, JHOC 3140A, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Dharmdev H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Section of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, JHOC 3140A, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Gaurav K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Thawait
authors.affiliation: Section of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, JHOC 3140A, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.|Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Servizio di Radiologia, Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Del Grande
authors.affiliation: Section of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, JHOC 3140A, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. jfritz9@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fritz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005267:Femoral Nerve; D020428:Femoral Neuropathy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D053783:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Interventional / Q000379:methods*; D010146:Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Cryoablation; Nerve; Neuralgia; Neuropathy; Posterior femoral cutaneous nerve; Treatment