Newswise — Chronic pain persists as one of the most disabling and costly medical issues worldwide. When conservative treatments such as physical therapy and prescription drugs are unsuccessful, healthcare providers may consider interventions that directly affect the nerves. One such option is dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation, which targets the nerves along the spine. DRG stimulation effectively treats pain in the lower body; however, patient characteristics that may predict long-term outcomes have not been defined. A retrospective study sought to determine demographic and clinical predictors of a successful response to DRG stimulation in 93 patients at multiple time points up to 1 year following implant surgery.

Abhishek Yadav, Jonathan Hagedorn, Timothy Deer, Ian McArdle, and Ryan D'Souza of Brown University, Providence, RI, received a Resident/Fellow Travel Award from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) for its 20th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting, being held November 18-20, 2021. The authors will present Abstract #2160, “Effect of Patient Characteristics on Clinical Outcomes over 12 Months Following Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation Implantation,” on Friday, November 19.

Patients were classified as responder or non-responders based on 2 different thresholds: ≥50% and ≥80% pain relief, respectively. A history of prior chronic opioid use was associated with significantly lower rates of responder status on both thresholds at all time periods (1 week to 1 month, 3 months, and 12 months). Other characteristics including age, gender, body mass index, smoking, hormone use, neuropathic medication, history of psychiatric disorder, and number of DRG leads placed showed no changes in responder status on either threshold at any time point.

“This study highlights the importance of chronic opioid weaning and, ideally, discontinuation before DRG stimulator implantation to improve the likelihood of long-term successful outcomes,” Yadav et al. said. “Future directions should include prospective studies, consideration of functional outcomes, and response predictors based on specific DRG-stimulation indications.”

ASRA is a professional member organization of more than 5,000 physicians and healthcare providers across the United States and the world. The vision of ASRA is to relieve the global burden of pain. ASRA is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of regional anesthesia and pain medicine to improve patient outcomes through research, education, and advocacy. Learn more at www.asra.com.

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20th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting

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16364043196999_Application-2160-EFFECT OF PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES OVER 12 MONTHS FOLLOWING DORSAL ROOT GANGLION STIMULATION IMPLANTATION.pdf