Real-World Effectiveness of a Novel AI-Software Dependent Neuromodulation (ASDN) with Remote Monitoring Capability Field Stimulation Device for Chronic Pain: A 24-Month Analysis of Over 2000 Patients.

Importance: Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and conventional pharmacologic treatments are often limited by side effects, inadequate efficacy, and risk of dependency. Non-invasive neuromodulation therapies such as TENS and EMS offer alternatives but are traditionally constrained by fixed stimulation protocols and low user engagement.

Objective: To evaluate the 24-month real-world effectiveness of EcoAI™, an AI-driven wearable system delivering adaptive TENS and EMS for chronic pain management in community settings.

Guidelines From the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience for Using Artificial Intelligence in Interventional Spine and Nerve Treatment.

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving and becoming more ubiquitous. Significant advancements have been made in the last few years, driving rapidly increasing adoption. The scale of publications on AI makes it difficult to keep abreast of relevant findings.

Pocket Fills for Intrathecal Pump Delivery Systems: A Narrative Review.

Intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) are an increasingly common treatment option in the management of refractory chronic pain. IDDS allow for highly customizable administration of medication directly into the intrathecal space, optimizing therapeutic benefit while minimizing systemic side effects. Understanding potential complications of IDDS is key for patient safety.

STIMFIX™ anchoring in percutaneous spinal cord stimulation trials: interim analysis of a multicenter study.

Aims: Lead migration during percutaneous spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trials can undermine therapeutic efficacy. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the novel, noninvasive STIMFIX anchoring system in reducing lead migration compared to conventional anchoring techniques.

Patients & Methods: This interim analysis included two prospectively collected cohorts.

Artificial intelligence-enhanced pain management: the NXTSTIM EcoAI platform.

Chronic pain affects approximately 20% of the global population, leading to significant disability and economic burden. Traditional management strategies, including pharmacologic interventions and physical therapies, often provide limited relief and are associated with adverse effects. Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), have shown promise but are hindered by issues like inconsistent dosing and poor adherence.

Transforming Chronic Pain Management: Integrating Neuromodulation with Advanced Technologies to Tackle Cognitive Dysfunction - A Narrative Review.

Chronic pain is a complex and multidimensional condition that disrupts both physical function and cognitive processing, creating a bidirectional cycle that amplifies symptom burden and complicates clinical management. Cognitive dysfunction, characterized by deficits in memory, attention, and executive function, further impairs treatment adherence and functional recovery. Conventional pharmacologic therapies frequently fail to address this dual burden and are associated with adverse effects, including dependence and cognitive impairment.

Analgesic and Hemodynamic Effects of Dexmedetomidine-Ketamine vs Fentanyl-Ketamine in Healthy Volunteers: A Randomized Trial.

Background: Dexmedetomidine is an α2-agonist sedative with opioid-sparing properties, is limited by dose-dependent hypotension and bradycardia. Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, has sympathomimetic effects and may attenuate these cardiovascular effects while contributing analgesia. Whether low-dose ketamine can stabilize dexmedetomidine-induced hemodynamic changes and provide comparable analgesia to an opioid-based regimen is uncertain.

Device Evaluation, Treatment, and Explantation Recommendations (DETER): Review and Best Practices for Managing Neuromodulation Device Infections.

Infections related to neuromodulation devices such as spinal cord stimulators (SCS) and intrathecal pumps (ITPs) present complex challenges due to potential complications such as localized infections, deep infections, sepsis, and neurological injury. Prompt diagnosis requires patients and providers to be educated on wound management and sepsis symptoms for immediate medical attention. Antibiotic therapy and duration vary based on infection severity, with deep infections often requiring device removal despite recent improvements in salvage rates with aggressive initial intervention.

A Review of Nonsurgical Neurolytic Procedures for Neuropathic Pain.

Introduction: Ideally, a physical or chemical nonsurgical neurolytic procedure provides targeted neurolysis to relieve pain for a suitable length of time without causing complications. This narrative review focuses on five nonsurgical neurolytic procedures that are well-established and well-documented in the literature for the treatment of refractory neuropathic pain and peripheral neuropathies, in particular: two physical nonsurgical neurolytic techniques (cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation) and three chemoneurolytic agents (alcohol injection, phenol injection, and a high-concentration capsaicin 8% topical system).

Methods: Using the definition of nonsurgical physical and chemical neurolytic procedures for neuropathic pain, a focused literature search of the PubMed database for English-language, human studies published through July 2024 included, but was not limited to, the following search terms: "neuropathic pain" AND "cryoablation", "cryoneurolysis", "radiofrequency ablation", "alcohol neurolysis", "alcohol injection", "phenol neurolysis", "phenol injection", "chemoneurolysis", "topical capsaicin", and "TRPV1.

The American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) Guidelines and Consensus on the Definition, Current Evidence, Clinical Use and Future Applications for Physiologic Closed-Loop Controlled Neuromodulation in Chronic Pain: A NEURON Group Project.

Introduction: Neuromodulation has been a staple of treatment for moderate-to-severe chronic refractory pain since the introduction of the first spinal cord stimulator by Norman Shealy in 1967. Appreciating the dynamic nature of electrical modulation of the nervous system from the epidural space, the goal has been consistent, reliable, and therapeutic neural activation of the spinal cord. This has proven to be extremely difficult.

Latest Advancements in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS): Revisiting an Established Therapy with New Possibilities.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) are non-invasive therapies widely used for pain relief and neuromuscular adaptation. However, the clinical research supporting the efficacy of TENS in chronic pain management is limited by significant methodological flaws, including small sample sizes and inconsistent reporting of stimulation parameters. TENS modulates pain perception through various techniques, targeting specific nerve fibers and pain pathways.

Restorative Neurostimulation Therapy Compared to Optimal Medical Management: A Randomized Evaluation (RESTORE) for the Treatment of Chronic Mechanical Low Back Pain due to Multifidus Dysfunction.

Introduction: Many interventional strategies are commonly used to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP), though few are specifically intended to target the distinct underlying pathomechanisms causing low back pain. Restorative neurostimulation has been suggested as a specific treatment for mechanical CLBP resulting from multifidus dysfunction. In this randomized controlled trial, we report outcomes from a cohort of patients with CLBP associated with multifidus dysfunction treated with restorative neurostimulation compared to those randomized to a control group receiving optimal medical management (OMM) over 1 year.

Beyond the Pain Management Clinic: The Role of AI-Integrated Remote Patient Monitoring in Chronic Disease Management - A Narrative Review.

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) stands as a pivotal advancement in patient-centered care, offering substantial improvements in the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of chronic conditions. Through the utilization of advanced digital technologies, RPM facilitates the real-time collection and transmission of critical health data, enabling clinicians to make prompt, informed decisions that enhance patient safety and care, particularly within home environments. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed studies to evaluate the transformative role of RPM, particularly its integration with Artificial Intelligence (AI), in managing chronic conditions such as heart failure, diabetes, and chronic pain.

Pathophysiology of Pain and Mechanisms of Neuromodulation: A Narrative Review (A Neuron Project).

Pain serves as a vital innate defense mechanism that can significantly impact an individual's quality of life. Understanding the physiological effects of pain well plays an important role in developing novel pain treatments. Nociceptor neurons play a key role in pain and inflammation.

Self-regulated analgesia in males but not females is mediated by endogenous opioids.

Converging lines of preclinical and clinical research indicate that females, in stark contrast to males, display an increased prevalence of chronic pain. Females also demonstrate weaker analgesic efficacy in response to opioid therapies when compared with males. These sex-specific differences may be driven by dimorphic endogenous opioidergic responses.

Twelve-month results from a randomized controlled trial comparing differential target multiplexed spinal cord stimulation and conventional spinal cord stimulation in subjects with chronic refractory axial low back pain not eligible for spine surgery.

Background: Successful treatments for intractable chronic low back pain (CLBP) in patients who are not eligible for surgical interventions are scarce. The superior efficacy of differential target multiplexed spinal cord stimulation (DTM SCS) to conventional SCS (Conv-SCS) on the treatment of CLBP in patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome (PSPS) who have failed surgical interventions (PSPS-T2) motivated the evaluation of DTM SCS versus Conv-SCS on PSPS patients who are non-surgical candidates (PSPS-T1).

Methods: This is a prospective, open label, crossover, post-market randomized controlled trial in 20 centers across the United States.

The Neurostimulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC)®: Recommendations for Spinal Cord Stimulation Long-Term Outcome Optimization and Salvage Therapy.

Introduction: The International Neuromodulation Society (INS) has recognized a need to establish best practices for optimizing implantable devices and salvage when ideal outcomes are not realized. This group has established the Neurostimulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC)® to offer guidance on matters needed for both our members and the broader community of those affected by neuromodulation devices.

Materials And Methods: The executive committee of the INS nominated faculty for this NACC® publication on the basis of expertise, publications, and career work on the issue.

The role of endogenous opioids in mindfulness and sham mindfulness-meditation for the direct alleviation of evoked chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is the most prevalent chronic pain condition. There are no treatments that haven been found to directly assuage evoked cLBP. To this extent, mindfulness-meditation is a promising pain therapy.

Pain Education and Knowledge (PEAK) Consensus Guidelines for Neuromodulation: A Proposal for Standardization in Fellowship and Training Programs.

The need to be competent in neuromodulation is and should be a prerequisite prior to completing a fellowship in interventional pain medicine. Unfortunately, many programs lack acceptable candidates for these advanced therapies, and fellows may not receive adequate exposure to neuromodulation procedures. The American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) desires to create a consensus of experts to set a minimum standard of competence for neurostimulation procedures, including spinal cord stimulation (SCS), dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S), and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS).

Real World Characterization of Chronic Pain, Success Rates and Implant Rates: Evidence from a Digital Health Platform of Patients Undergoing Spinal Cord Stimulation Evaluations.

Spinal cord stimulation is an effective treatment for those experiencing chronic back and leg pain but requires a temporary evaluation period (SCSeval) before permanent implantation. We present real-world data from 7,000 patients who underwent SCSeval while utilizing a mobile digital health platform for education, feedback, and outcomes collection during their surgical journey. We analyzed preoperative patient demographics, characterized patient pain profiles using the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system-29 surveys, and calculated the rates of conversion from temporary to permanent spinal cord stimulation (SCS) implantation.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Evidence-Based Advances in Concepts and Treatments.

Purpose Of Review: This review presents the most current information about the epidemiology of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), classification and diagnostic criteria, childhood CRPS, subtypes, pathophysiology, conventional and less conventional treatments, and preventive strategies.

Recent Findings: CRPS is a painful disorder with multifactorial pathophysiology. The data describe sensitization of the central and peripheral nervous systems, inflammation, possible genetic factors, sympatho-afferent coupling, autoimmunity, and mental health factors as contributors to the syndrome.

Best Practices for Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Pain: Guidelines from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience.

With continued innovations in neuromodulation comes the need for evolving reviews of best practices. Dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S) has significantly improved the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and it has broad applicability across a wide range of other conditions. Through funding and organizational leadership by the American Society for Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), this best practices consensus document has been developed for the selection, implantation, and use of DRG stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes.