PainVision® Apparatus for Assessment of Efficacy of Pulsed Radiofrequency Combined with Pharmacological Therapy in the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia and Correlations with Measurements

Objective. PainVision device was a developed application for the evaluation of pain intensity. The objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) combined with pharmacological therapy in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). We also discussed the correlation of the measurements. Method. Forty patients with PHN were randomized for treatment with PRF combined with pharmacological therapy (PRF group, n = 20) or pharmacological therapy (control group, n = 20) at postoperative 48 hours. The efficacy measure was pain degree (PD) that was assessed by PainVision and visual analog scale (VAS), short form Mcgill pain questionnaire (SF-Mcgill), and numeric rate scale sleep interference score (NRSSIS). Correlations between PD, VAS, SF-Mcgill, and NRSSIS were determined. Results. The PD for persistent pain (PP) and breakthrough pain (BTP) at postoperative 48 hours assessed by PainVision were significantly lower in PRF group than in control group (PD-PP, P < 0.01; PD-BTP, P < 0.01). PD and VAS were highly correlated for both persistent pain (r = 0.453, ρ = 0.008) and breakthrough pain (r = 0.64, ρ = 0.001). Conclusion. PRF was well tolerated and superior to isolated pharmacological therapy in the treatment of PHN. PainVision device showed great value in the evaluation of pain intensity and PD had an excellent correlation with VAS and SF-Mcgill.