Clinical effects of pulsed radiofrequency to the thoracic sympathetic ganglion versus the cervical sympathetic chain in patients with upper-extremity complex regional pain syndrome: A retrospective analysis.

Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) to the thoracic sympathetic ganglion (TSG PRF) or to the cervical sympathetic chain (CSC PRF) can be performed to overcome transient effects of single sympathetic blocks in patients with upper-extremity complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).We retrospectively compared the clinical effects of TSG PRF and CSC PRF. Seven TSG PRF cases and 10 CSC PRF cases were enrolled in the present analysis. We assessed effectiveness with multiple clinical measurements: a numerical rating scale (NRS) of pain before and 1 week after the procedure, postprocedure temperature, effect duration, and a self-described patient satisfaction score.The temperature was significantly higher in TSG PRF cases than in CSC PRF cases. Pain values (according to the NRS) 1 week after the procedure were significantly lower, and the effect duration was significantly longer, after TSG PRF than after CSC PRF.TSG PRF is a more effective procedure than CSC PRF for managing chronic upper-extremity CRPS.