The American Academy of Pain Medicine      Annual Meeting Home Page     
24th Annual Meeting February 13-18, 2008 Orlando, FL
Annual Meeting Highlights
Supported by an educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc.



© 2006 American Academy of Pain Medicine
Saturday, February 16, 2008: 3:45 PM-5:45 PM
(404) Neuromodulation for Cardiac, PVD, and Visceral Pain
The physiology of cardiac pain is complex and the neuromodulatory effects on ischemic pain via intrinsic cardiac nerve firing has been studied. The complex regulation of coronary arterial flow and endothelial relaxation are important causes of cardiac pain in many patients. Peripheral vasculopathic conditions are likewise an ongoing source of major morbidity and result in significant rates of arterial bypass and amputation. Electrical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used for the treatment of neuropathic pain of various etiologies and complex regional pain syndrome. Primarily in Europe, but increasingly in the United States, SCS has been used to treat pains of cardiac and vascular origin in animals; electrical SCS can suppress intrinsic cardiac neuronal activity (Gagliardi et al., 1988; Linderoth & Foreman, 2006). While SCS has proven beneficial for improving pain and quality of life in patients with angina pectoris (Anersen et al., 2006; Dejongste et al., 1994; Mannheimer et al., 1998), substantial implementation barriers persist. Although a significant number of patients with peripheral vascular pain are candidates for SCS, there are ongoing referral biases and inherent problems in this population of patients. During this panel, the pathophysiology of cardiac and visceral pain will be described, possible mechanisms of neuromodulation will be discussed, and clinical results and future directions in treatment of cardiac and vascular pain using neuromodulation will be specified.
3:45 PM Introduction
Leonardo Kapural, MD
3:50 PM SCS for Cardiac Disorders: What Is the Evidence?
Elliot Krames, MD
4:15 PM Spinal Cord Stimulation for Peripheral Vascular disease
Milan Stojanovic, MD
4:40 PM Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Abdominal Pain
Leonardo Kapural, MD
5:05 PM Cardiac Pain and Neuromodulation: Unraveling the Mechanisms
Robert Foreman, PhD
5:30 PM Question & Answer

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