BMC Neurology, 2019 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-019-1273-y · Published: March 14, 2019
Refractory pain is difficult to treat with standard medications. Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is a potential treatment option. This study analyzes existing research to see how well MCS works for different types of refractory pain. The study combined data from multiple studies to get a better idea of how effective MCS is. It looked at different types of pain, like post-stroke pain and trigeminal neuropathic pain. The researchers found that MCS can help with refractory pain, but it works better for some types of pain than others. The duration of the disease and follow-up time are factors that can predict the outcome.
MCS can be considered as a potential treatment for patients with refractory pain, particularly post-stroke pain, trigeminal neuropathic pain and post-radicular plexopathy.
The duration of the disease and the follow-up time can be considered as predictive factors for the success of MCS.
Further studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of MCS and to evaluate its cost-benefit ratio.