Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38765102›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2024

Comparing the efficacy and safety of high-voltage and standard-voltage pulsed radiofrequency for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: A pooled analysis from randomized controlled trials.

Shihong Cai, Li Du, Xiaoming Xiang, Chengjiang Liu, Yanfeng Zhang, Zhiyou Peng, Xianhui Kang, Zhiying Feng

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Oxycodone combined with pulsed radiofrequency for refractory cancer pain from spinal metastases: a randomized controlled study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Shihong CaiDepartment of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Li DuEducational Administration Department, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China.
Xiaoming XiangDepartment of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Chengjiang LiuDepartment of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Yanfeng ZhangDepartment of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Zhiyou PengDepartment of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Xianhui KangDepartment of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Zhiying FengDepartment of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of the most common and serious complications of herpes zoster infection. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) therapy has emerged to be a neuromodulation technique for the treatment of PHN. Two therapeutic options are available for PRF, including high-voltage and standard-voltage PRF. Some studies suggested that the former one had better clinical efficacy than the latter one. For the first time, this pooled analysis compared the efficacy and safety of these two surgeries for the treatment of PHN. Five commonly used databases were applied to identify the eligible studies. This study was registered on the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023460236), which provided more relevant information. Finally, four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 285 participants were included. The combined odds ratios (OR) showed that high-voltage PRF exhibited a significantly higher treatment efficiency than the standard PRF (OR = 1.4, 95%CI: 1.16 to 1.69, P < 0.001). Additionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) in the high-voltage PRF group was significantly lower than that of the standard PRF group at one week (SMD = -0.776, 95%CI: -1.408 to -0.145, P = 0.016), one month (SMD = -0.544, 95%CI: -0.907 to -0.180, P = 0.003), and three months (SMD = -1.096, 95%CI: -1.504 to -0.687, P < 0.001) after treatment, particularly at the three months after surgery. However, the VAS was comparable between the two groups (SMD = -0.94, 95%CI: -1.985 to 0.104, P = 0.077). Patients who underwent high-voltage PRF did not have a significantly higher incidence of adverse events than those with standard PRF (OR = 1.56, 95%CI: 0.78 to 3.13, P = 0.208). In summary, the current study revealed that high-voltage PRF is superior to standard-voltage PRF in improving analgesic efficacy in patients with PHN. Additionally, it does not increase the incidence of treatment-related adverse effects. Further studies are still warranted to determine the optimal voltage and duration of PRF treatment for patients with PHN.

Indexed as

Adverse effectsEfficacyHigh-voltagePostherpetic neuralgiaPulsed radiofrequency

Identifiers

PMID38765102
PMCPMC11101789

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.