Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences, Volume. 17, Issue 1, 2350014(2024)

Laser speckle contrast imaging to predict the effect of temporary spinal cord stimulation in postherpetic neuralgia patients: A prospective observational study

Xiang Huang1, Dacheng Tang2, Pan Chen2, Lumiao Chen1, Xiaohong Li2、*, and Xiaoping Wang1、**
Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pain Management, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guang Zhou, Guangdong 510630, P. R. China
  • 2Department of Pain Management, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan City, Guangdong 528000, P. R. China
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    Temporary spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) can effectively reduce the pain and severity of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). However, there are no effective and objective methods for predicting the effects of tSCS on PHN. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is frequently used in neurology to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. To assess the accuracy of LSCI in predicting the impact of tSCS on PHN, 14 adult patients receiving tSCS treatments for spinal nerve-innervated (C6-T2) PHN participated in this observational study. Visual analog scale (VAS) assessments and LSCI blood flow images of the fingers were recorded after the tSCS procedure. The results showed that the VAS scores of all patients decreased significantly. Moreover, the blood flow index (BFI) values were significantly higher than they were before the procedure. Increased blood flow and pain alleviation were positively correlated. The findings indicated that spinal nerve PHN (C6-T2) was significantly reduced by tSCS. Pain alleviation by tSCS was positively correlated with increased blood flow in the hand. The effect of tSCS on PHN may thus be predicted using an independent and consistent indicator such as LSCI.

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    Xiang Huang, Dacheng Tang, Pan Chen, Lumiao Chen, Xiaohong Li, Xiaoping Wang. Laser speckle contrast imaging to predict the effect of temporary spinal cord stimulation in postherpetic neuralgia patients: A prospective observational study[J]. Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences, 2024, 17(1): 2350014

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    Paper Information

    Category: Research Articles

    Received: Jan. 22, 2023

    Accepted: May. 14, 2023

    Published Online: Feb. 28, 2024

    The Author Email: Li Xiaohong (txp2938@jnu.edu.cn), Wang Xiaoping (awango@126.com)

    DOI:10.1142/S1793545823500141

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