ArticlePain research & management2026
Pulsed Radiofrequency Alone Versus Combined With Stellate Ganglion Block for Acute Herpes Zoster-Associated Trigeminal Neuralgia in Patients With Pain Catastrophizing: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.
Article in Pain research & management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThis study compared the efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) combined with stellate ganglion block (SGB) versus PRF alone in managing acute herpes zoster-associated trigeminal neuralgia (HZTN) with pain catastrophizing. PATIENTS AND
methodsBetween 2019 and 2024, 61 patients were divided into two groups: the PRF group (supraorbital nerve PRF, n = 31) and the PRF + SGB group (PRF combined with SGB, n = 30). Pain (VAS), sleep quality (PSQI), and pain catastrophizing (PCS) were evaluated at baseline, at 1 and 2 weeks, and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment. Adverse events and satisfaction were also tracked.
resultsThe PRF + SGB group showed better pain relief and sleep improvement within the first 3 months (p < 0.05) but not at 6 months. Both groups improved in PCS scores (p < 0.05), but PRF + SGB had consistently lower scores at all follow-ups (p < 0.05). Multivariable regression showed that the treatment group was independently associated with 6-month PCS, but not with 6-month VAS or PSQI. Patient satisfaction was higher in the PRF + SGB group (p < 0.05). No significant adverse events occurred in either group.
conclusionCombining PRF with SGB was associated with greater short-term efficacy in reducing pain, improving sleep, and relieving pain catastrophizing, with higher patient satisfaction and a favorable safety profile. However, the benefits in pain and sleep were not sustained at 6 months, suggesting mainly early clinical benefit and a persistent association with improved pain catastrophizing.
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.