Session: Neuromodulation for Visceral Pain

	23rd Annual Meeting February 7-10, 2007 New Orleans, LA
Annual Meeting Highlights Supported by an educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc. © 2006 American Academy of Pain Medicine


Friday, February 9, 2007: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM
Neuromodulation for Visceral Pain
Spinal cord electrical stimulation (SCS) has been used for the treatment of neuropathic pain of various etiologies, ischemic pain, and complex regional pain syndrome. In animals, electrical SCS can suppress visceromotor response to colon distension. A few recent case reports suggested effectiveness of SCS in suppression of long-standing visceral and nonvisceral abdominal or truncal pain in human subjects. Although a significant number of patients with severe visceral pain will transiently respond to visceral nerve blocks and radiofrequency ablation, substantial long-term pain relief usually is lacking. SCS therefore may be a welcome alternative or additional treatment for moderate to severe chronic visceral epigastric pain. This session will describe the pathophysiology of visceral pain, discuss possible mechanisms of neuromodulation, and detail clinical results and future directions in treatment of abdominal and visceral pelvic pain using neuromodulation.

Submitter:	Leonardo Kapural
Moderator:	Leonardo Kapural
8:30 AM		Introductory Remarks
8:35 AM		Pathophysiological Basis and Clinical Problem of Visceral Pain Braden Kuo, MD
9:00 AM		Mechanisms of Visceral Pain Neuromodulation Elliot Krames
9:30 AM		Clinical Results of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Visceral Pain Leonardo Kapural
10:00 AM		Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Abdominal and Pelvic Pain Michael Stanton-Hicks, MD