Case report: Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation for acute neuropathic pain from acute herpes zoster infection

Abstract

There is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of procedural interventions for treatment of pain after an acute herpes zoster (AHZ) infection before the development of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In our case, a 61-year-old male presented with 1 month of left foot pain following an AHZ infection. After 1 month of pain refractory to treatment and admission to our hospital for acute pain management, a nerve stimulator was placed at the left first sacral (S1) dorsal root ganglion (DRG), which significantly decreased his pain despite his ongoing dermatologic manifestations of AHZ. In conclusion, we describe a case of nerve stimulator placement at the S1 DRG as a successful treatment for intractable pain following an AHZ infection.