Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation of the Musculocutaneous Nerve for Refractory Antecubital ElbowPain—Brief Technical Report and Illustrative Case Report

Abstract

ABSTRACTChronic pain following distal biceps rupture (DBR) is often nonspecific in that it may arise due to the injury, subsequent surgical repair, or a combination of factors, making the painful symptoms challenging to treat. Peripheral nerve injury in the setting of DBR most commonly affects the musculocutaneous nerve or one of its terminal branches and may lead to chronic neuropathic pain involving the elbow and lateral/radial aspect of the forearm. In this brief technical report, we describe an ultrasound-guided (USG) technique for percutaneous implantation of a peripheral nerve stimulator (PNS) targeting the musculocutaneous nerve, along with an illustrative case report of successful treatment of chronic refractory pain following DBR utilizing this technique. Six months postimplantation, the patient reported a greater than 60% baseline pain intensity reduction, and no complications were noted.

Keywords

• Pain medicine
• neuromodulation
• peripheral neuropathy
• peripheral nerve stimulation
• ultrasound