ID: 200009 Real-World Outcomes Using Pulsed and/or Thermal Radiofrequency for Treatment of Chronic Pain in Europe

Treating several chronic intractable pain syndromes with a diverse set of etiologies has been consistently shown to be successfully carried out using radiofrequency (RF). Conventional thermal RF (TRF) uses the application of heat (i.e., temperature) to thermo-coagulate and ablate neural tissue. Alternatively, pulsed RF (PRF) is performed using short pulses (typically 20 ms every 0 5 sec) at much lower temperatures usually no higher than 42ºC, thus avoiding destruction of neural tissue. Although these RF methods have specific advantages and disadvantages, they both offer viable alternatives for consideration per the particular aspects of the chronic pain condition as well as the overall health and preference of each patient 1 While RF is now a well-established therapeutic modality for chronic pain, periodic assessment of real-world patient data can contribute to the overall compendium of existing evidence as well as spur the initiation of new clinical studies.