Work

Dorsal root ganglion stimulation provides functional improvement from debilitating abdominal pain in Crohn's disease: A 12-month follow-up

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing-remitting, immunological, inflammatory bowel disease involving any part of the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly, the terminal ileum. Abdominal pain is a prominent debilitating symptom of CD due to continuous intestinal inflammation, associated with disease severity and complications. However, abdominal pain has shown to occur even with disease remission. Case presentation: A female college student with a history of Crohn's Disease was referred for severe, chronic abdominal pain, with frequent flare-ups and hospitalizations. Due to her refractory debilitating pain, DRG stimulation was initiated with leads placed at right T11 and T12. Twelve months post-implantation, the patient reports 50-60 % reduction in pain, tolerance of an oral diet without postprandial pain, no occurrence of flares since implant, and an overall improvement in function and quality of life. Conclusion: This report showcases the therapeutic potential of DRG stimulation in managing intractable chronic abdominal pain in inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease.

Source: Interventional Pain Medicine

DOI: 10.1016/j.inpm.2024.100524

Authors: Ahmed Khawer, Harman Chopra, Tariq AlFarra, Eellan Sivanesan

Institutions: Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Language: English

Topic: Pain Management and Treatment

Subfield: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,400