Abstract
Objective: To describe a case of intractable brachial plexopathy-induced neuropathic pain syndrome treated with electroconvulsive therapy after a failed trial of conventional drugs and interventional pain management. Case Report: A 32-year-old male had chronic intractable neuropathic pain of the right upper extremity and shoulder for about 10 years, due to brachial plexopathy. He tried multiple pain medications and underwent various interventional pain procedures without significant pain relief. When the patient subsequently developed severe depression with suicidal ideation, he underwent electroconvulsive therapy, which significantly improved the depression and pain for two months. Discussion: There is a growing list of nonpsychiatric conditions that may be treated with electroconvulsive therapy. Chronic intractable pain with or without depression has been on and off the list for years. Further studies may eventually demonstrate efficacy of ECT for intractable neuropathic pain syndromes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 261-263 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Pain physician |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - Apr 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Depression
- Electroconvulsive therapy
- Intractable pain
- Neuropathic pain
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine