ReviewCureus2025
Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Pain: Mechanistic Insights and Emerging Innovations.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy of psychological interventions versus standard care for cancer pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Age-Related Transitions in Low Back Pain Pathology: A Life-Course Narrative Review.Pain and therapy · 2026Review
- Efficacy of a Modified Three-in-One Puncture Technique for Genicular Nerve Ablation in Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Chronic pain remains a significant global health burden, with far-reaching consequences for individual well-being, societal productivity, and healthcare resources. Despite advances in pharmacological and interventional strategies, many patients experience inadequate relief or intolerable side effects, underscoring the need for alternative approaches. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as a minimally invasive, targeted therapy for a wide range of chronic pain syndromes, including spine-related disorders, peripheral neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and refractory cancer pain. This narrative review explores the historical evolution of RFA, tracing its origins from early neurosurgical experiments to its current place in contemporary pain medicine. Mechanistic insights into RFA highlight its ability to disrupt nociceptive pathways at both cellular and molecular levels, with biophysical principles guiding lesion formation and efficacy. The review examines conventional, pulsed, cooled, and bipolar RFA techniques, comparing their effectiveness and indications across pain syndromes. Recent technological innovations, such as advanced image guidance, neuro-navigation, robotic assistance, and regenerative hybrid strategies, are discussed as transformative trends poised to enhance the precision and outcomes of RFA. The safety profile, including immediate and delayed complications, is critically appraised alongside established preventive strategies and management protocols. Evidence from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and professional guidelines is synthesized to inform best practice, while also addressing ethical, legal, and accessibility considerations in diverse patient populations. Collectively, this review underscores the evolving role of RFA in chronic pain management, highlights persistent challenges, and calls for ongoing research to optimize patient selection, procedural safety, and equitable access worldwide.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.