BACKGROUND/AIMS: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) can be refractory to both medical and minimally invasive treatments. Its complex pathophysiology explains the numerous neurosurgical procedures that have been implemented through the years. Our objective was to summarize all available neurosurgical strategies for the management of resistant PHN and evaluate their respective safety and efficacy outcomes.

METHODS

A comprehensive systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

RESULTS

A total of 38 studies comprising 811 patients with refractory PHN were included. The safety and efficacy of the following procedures were investigated: spinal cord stimulation (SCS), dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning, intrathecal drug delivery, caudalis DREZ lesioning, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) radiofrequency lesioning, peripheral nerve stimulation, gamma knife surgery, deep brain stimulation, cordotomy, percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy and Gasserian ganglion stimulation.

CONCLUSIONS

There are several available neurosurgical approaches for recalcitrant PHN including neuromodulatory and ablative procedures. It is suggested that patients with resistant PHN undergo minimally invasive procedures first, including SCS, peripheral nerve stimulation or DRG radiofrequency lesioning. More invasive procedures should be reserved for refractory cases. Comparative studies are needed in order to construct a PHN neurosurgical management algorithm.