Motor Cortex Stimulation for Intractable Pain

摘要

Effective management of central pain constitutes a significant challenge for even the most experienced and skilled pain practitioners. Drug therapy is often ineffective and/or poorly tolerated and most surgical procedures have had limited success. During the past decade, motor cortex stimulation (MCS) has emerged as a promising tool for the treatment of patients with difficult central or deafferentation pain conditions. Although the most common indications for MCS have been poststroke pain and trigeminal neuropathic pain, other neuropathic pain conditions have recently emerged for which MCS has had a positive effect. The technique also continues to evolve and improve. Based on previous and ongoing work, it would appear that the future for MCS is indeed bright and will continue to show promise in the management of some of the most refractory pain problems that exist. As more work is done in this area, it is hoped that we will be able to develop a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of MCS.