Clinical study of short-term spinal cord stimulation for herpes zoster-associated pain

Zoster-associated neuralgia refers to neuropathic pain from herpes zoster, which can persist as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Preventing the progression to chronic PHN is crucial, yet optimal interventions is still not clear. This study evaluates the efficacy of short-term spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) in patients with subacute and chronic PHN. A clinical study involved 135 patients with herpes zoster-associated pain (HZAP), divided into two groups: Experimental group which received short-term spinal cord stimulation therapy, and Control group which received conventional medical treatment and nerve block therapy. Pain intensity, sleep quality, anxiety and depression and quality of life were assessed at baseline and at 2 weeks, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month post-treatment. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified factors associated with treatment efficacy. At 1-month follow-up, the experimental group showed significantly higher efficacy in pain reduction (P