ArticleFrontiers in neurology2025
Temporary spinal cord stimulation combined with lidocaine patch for postherpetic neuralgia in the elderly: a controlled study.
Article in Frontiers in neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Efficacy and safety of short-term spinal cord stimulation and pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Comparison of efficacy and safety of non-oral therapeutic interventions for zoster-associated pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Comparative long-term efficacy of short-term spinal cord stimulation versus bipolar pulsed radiofrequency for refractory postherpetic neuralgia: a 24 month prospective study.European journal of medical research · 2025Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a chronic neuropathic pain condition in elderly patients following herpes zoster infection. Conventional treatments often have inconsistent efficacy and significant side effects. Combining spinal cord stimulation (SCS) with lidocaine patches may enhance pain relief by targeting central and peripheral pain mechanisms. Methods: This randomized, controlled, single-blind trial enrolled 97 patients aged ≥60 years with PHN lasting ≥6 months. Participants were assigned to SCS with a 5% lidocaine patch ( Results: At day 90, the experimental group had greater reductions in VAS scores (1.6 ± 1.1) than the control group (2.7 ± 1.3, Conclusion: Combining SCS with lidocaine patches significantly enhances pain relief and sleep quality in elderly PHN patients compared to SCS alone. Further multicenter studies are recommended to validate these findings and assess long-term outcomes. Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/searchprojEN.html, ChiCTR2000039059.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.