The Perugia hospital marks an important milestone in the field of pain therapy with the execution of the first implants of medullary and peripheral neurostimulators at the Pain Medicine Centre. It is an innovative therapy, based on advanced technology, which allows the control of chronic pain without the use of drugs, representing a solution for complex patients who do not respond to conventional pharmacological or surgical treatments.
The neurostimulator works similarly to a cardiac pacemaker: it consists of an impulse generator implanted under the skin which, instead of regulating the heartbeat, sends electrical impulses to block and modulate pain signals through electrodes positioned in the spinal cord or near specific nerves.
“The interventions performed at the Pain Medicine Center represent an important step forward for the treatment of chronic pain – explains Dr. Massimo Renzini, head of the Center – The implementation of innovative procedures and techniques has made it possible to treat very complex, non-surgical and non-responsive patients to other types of therapies, personalizing treatments with the aim of preventing the evolution of the pathology and improving the quality of life”.
The first implant was carried out on a 46-year-old patient with severe pelvic pain symptoms, following post-operative complications from colorectal resection in 2019. After numerous non-resolving treatments at highly specialized facilities in Tuscany and Lombardy, the patient found relief thanks to this innovative procedure.
The operation, performed under local anesthesia with radiological guidance, involved the positioning of two electrocatheters in the sacral area through the coccygeal foramen, with possible lumbar epidural extension to control abdominal pain. The generator, positioned in a subcutaneous pocket above the gluteal or abdominal area, works autonomously after programming, but the patient can personalize the therapy by modifying the intensity of the neurostimulation in real time using a special remote control. The procedure requires an average hospital stay of 3 days.
The second case involved a 76-year-old patient suffering from a severe form of chronic migraine, which did not respond to drugs, botulinum toxin and pain blocks, which offered only temporary relief.
After careful evaluation, under local anesthesia and sedation, two electrodes were implanted in correspondence with the occipital nerves with retro-nuchal access, an ultrasound and radio-guided procedure, with subcutaneous paravertebral extension up to the rechargeable generator positioned at lumbar level.
The implant operations were performed by Dr. Massimo Renzini in collaboration with Dr. Giulia Pedini, in the operating room of the Anesthesia and Resuscitation Pain Medicine Center, directed by Dr. Fabio Gori, with the support of the facility’s nursing staff and radiology technicians.
The general director of the Perugia Hospital, Doctor Antonio d’Urso, expresses great satisfaction with this result: “I congratulate the entire team of the Pain Medicine Center for having brought one of the most innovative treatments in the field of pain medicine to our facility. These interventions represent an excellence that places the Perugia Hospital at the forefront in the treatment of chronic pain”.
Compliments also come from the President of the Region, Stefania Proietti, who underlines: “It is a source of pride for our entire region to be able to guarantee Umbrian citizens technologies and skills of this level, offering concrete hope to patients who until yesterday had no effective therapeutic alternatives and went outside the region”.
