Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41029440›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of medical research2025

Zoster-associated pain: pretreatment time interval is inversely associated with pulsed radiofrequency effectiveness in a retrospective mono-institutional analysis.

Xuejiao Guo, Yunze Li, Xuliang Wang, Zhiying Feng

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Article in European journal of medical research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Xuejiao GuoDepartment of Pain Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Yunze LiDepartment of Pain Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Xuliang WangDepartment of Kidney Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Zhiying FengDepartment of Pain Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. fzy1972@zju.edu.cn.

Funding

Medical and Health Research Project of Zhejiang Province 2024KY074
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is an effective treatment for herpes zoster-associated pain (ZAP), the optimal time to perform the PRF treatment remains unclear. This study aimed to explore this relationship and determine the optimal timing for PRF intervention.

methodsThis research conduct a single-center retrospective cohort study in China. 303 patients who received PRF treatment for ZAP were followed up for 3 months. The primary endpoints were numerical rating scale (NRS) score and NRS reduction rate. Multiple assessment scales were used to evaluate pain and symptoms. Cox regression analysis and restricted cubic spline analysis were performed to examine the relationship between pre-treatment time interval (PTI) and outcomes.

results69.9% achieved positive outcomes after PRF treatment. The incidence of positive outcomes decreased from 82.14% in the lowest PTI quartile to 48% in the highest. After adjusting for confounding factors, prolonged PTI was associated with an increased risk of negative PRF outcomes. Restricted Cube Spline (RCS) analysis revealed a non-linear relationship between PTI and treatment outcomes, with the risk of negative outcomes increasing rapidly initially before plateauing.

conclusionsThe optimal timing for PRF treatment was determined to be within 1.5 months of herpes onset. Single-center results may be influenced by institution-specific practices and physician-related biases, and longer follow-up period is necessary.

Indexed as

Herpes ZosterNeuralgia, PostherpeticPain ManagementPulsed Radiofrequency TreatmentAdultAgedChinaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementRetrospective StudiesTime FactorsTreatment OutcomePre-treatment time interval postherpetic neuralgiaPulsed radiofrequencyTreatment timing

Identifiers

PMID41029440
PMCPMC12486548

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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.