Neurostimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Facial Pain

Electrical stimulation of the central and peripheral nervous system, without question, has come to play a central role in the treatment of patients with chronic intractable pain conditions. Over the past 30 years, there have been significant advancements in techniques such as spinal cord stimulation. As experience has grown with electrical stimulation, so too have the clinical applications of these techniques. The evolution of procedures such as deep brain stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, and more recently motor cortex stimulation, has opened new avenues of treatment for conditions that have traditionally been refractory to nearly all forms of therapy. The following article presents a brief but contemporary review of the neurostimulation procedures that either have been or are currently utilized for the treatment of refractory facial pain conditions with emphasis on indications and outcomes of treatment.