Percutaneous cryoanalgesia in pain management: a case-series.

BACKGROUND

Cryoanalgesia, also known as cryoneuroablation or cryoneurolysis, is a specialized technique for providing long-term pain relief.

METHOD

We present here retrospective data on pain relief and changes in function after cryoanalgesia techniques: we describe the effect of this procedure on articular facet syndromes, sacroiliac pain and knee pain.

RESULTS

We reviewed the records of 18 patients with articular lumbar facet pain, knee pain and sacroiliac pain. The Visual Analog Scale and Patient's Global Impression of Change scale show satisfaction at 1 month after cryoablation, with the best scores after three months. Only three patients showed a worse condition than the first month.

CONCLUSION

The majority of patients experienced a clinically relevant degree of pain relief and improved function following percutaneous cryoanalgesia.