Clinical observations on selective dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency lesioning combined with gabapentin in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia.

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the clinical effects of selective dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency lesioning in combination with oral administration of gabapentin in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred and sixteen consecutive cases of initially diagnosed patients with PHN were randomly divided into the control and the observation groups, with each group consisting of 58 patients. The control group was treated with oral gabapentin (2400 mg/d, tid), while the observation group received gabapentin and pulsed radiofrequency lesioing of the dorsal root ganglion. The clinical efficacy of both the regimens was compared after a follow up period of 6 months.

RESULTS

The observation group had a significantly lower score on the visual analog scale than the control group (P ≤ 0.05, with no significant complications occurring in both the groups) at a 1, 2, and 4 week posttreatment duration. The percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD) 4+ cells and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio increased gradually, while the percentage of CD8 + cells decreased in the observation group (P ≤ 0.05). No significant alterations were observed in the control group (P > 0.05). The observation group had significantly lower serum interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels than the control group (P < 0.05) at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the treatment was instituted. The observation group also demonstrated a superior total effective rate and efficiency than the control group (P ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated that radiofrequency combined with gabapentin in the treatment of PHN has a good safety and efficacy profile. The effects of this treatment may be related to an increased T-cell immunity and an inhibited inflammatory response.