- Joined
- Mar 5, 2012
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Interesting patient that I just started taking care of...
Young female diagnosed with a recurrent mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland. Underwent radical neck dissection, including parotidectomy, as well as postsurgical radiation. Has been suffering from intractable dyesthesias in the preauricular and anterior cervical triangle areas ever since. She has some allodynia in the affected areas. She's literally tried every medication in the book (gaba, lyrica, topamax, NSAIDS, high dose systemic opioids, topicals, TCAs). No relief. I'm considering either a peripheral nerve stimulator or even high cervical SCS to see if I can get coverage, as a last ditch effort to treat her pain. With the exception of her malignancy, she has no other major health problems.
Any thoughts? Advice? I've been looking for some papers on the use of SCS or peripheral nerve stimulators to treat post-radical neck dissection pain. I'm not finding a tremendous amount on the subject. It looks like some people are using high cervical SCS to treat headaches and to augment the effects of chemo for high grade gliomas, but I haven't found any papers that address SCS used specifically for post-radical neck dissection neuropathic pain.
Young female diagnosed with a recurrent mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland. Underwent radical neck dissection, including parotidectomy, as well as postsurgical radiation. Has been suffering from intractable dyesthesias in the preauricular and anterior cervical triangle areas ever since. She has some allodynia in the affected areas. She's literally tried every medication in the book (gaba, lyrica, topamax, NSAIDS, high dose systemic opioids, topicals, TCAs). No relief. I'm considering either a peripheral nerve stimulator or even high cervical SCS to see if I can get coverage, as a last ditch effort to treat her pain. With the exception of her malignancy, she has no other major health problems.
Any thoughts? Advice? I've been looking for some papers on the use of SCS or peripheral nerve stimulators to treat post-radical neck dissection pain. I'm not finding a tremendous amount on the subject. It looks like some people are using high cervical SCS to treat headaches and to augment the effects of chemo for high grade gliomas, but I haven't found any papers that address SCS used specifically for post-radical neck dissection neuropathic pain.
