Estimulación eléctrica continua para el tratamiento de la neuralgia del trigémino. Revisión sistemática

Introduction: Facial pain comprehends a cluster of entities which are difficult to diagnose and treat. Its response to medical treatment can be limited and it becomes a refractory chronic pain. New invasive techniques for intervention with continuous electric stimulation (CES) are being reviewed for implementation. Objectives: To evaluate recent evidence focused on the use of continuous electric stimulation of the trigeminal nerve for treatment of chronic facial pain. Methods and materials: This review was undertaken in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). A literature search was conducted in 4 databases including evidence from the last 5 years. Original publications based on population analyses were selected for preliminary review by the authors; only articles written in English or Spanish were included. The obtained data was loaded into the online platform Rayyan where each author conducted an independent analysis of each article’s abstract, selecting those that met the inclusion criteria for review. Results: 162 articles were reviewed for inclusion, 31 were further analyzed to determine eligibility and 131 were excluded. 27 full text articles including systematic reviews, narrative reviews, retrospective case series, cohort studies, meta-analyses, institutional protocols and guidelines were included.