Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation for pain control following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction - A case report

R Deviandri; V Yuliana; D Irawan; A N Rahman

doi:10.1016/j.tcr.2022.100661

Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation for pain control following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction - A case report

Trauma Case Rep. 2022 May 24:40:100661. doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2022.100661. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

R Deviandri^{1

2}, V Yuliana³, D Irawan⁴, A N Rahman^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
² Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Riau, Division of Orthopaedic, Arifin Achmad Hospital, Pekanbaru, Indonesia.
³ Department of Sport and Rehabilitation, Fit Centrum, Pekanbaru, Indonesia.
⁴ Department of Anesthesia, Arifin Achmad Hospital, Pekanbaru, Indonesia.
⁵ Department of Orthopedic and Pain Intervention, Sentra Medika Hospital, Cisalak, Indonesia.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.

Abstract

Adequate postoperative pain control is an essential factor for the success of rehabilitation programs after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation (GNRF) is a recently developed method.This study aimed to evaluate the use of GNRF in patients who underwent ACLR.We performed GNRF guided by ultrasonography for patients who underwent ACLR with aggravated pain. GNRF was performed following ACLR a day after surgery. The pain was evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the Euroqol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) measured the quality of life on the day of one, three, and seven after surgery.

Results: In this study, two patients participated. In the postoperative days first, third, and seventh, the mean VAS was decreased after providing the intervention (from 8 to 5, 2, and 1, respectively). The mean EQ5D improved from 0.48 to 0.52, 0.56, 0.66, respectively.We concluded that GNRF is an adequate and safe procedure for managing postoperative pain after ACLR. It may enhance the postoperative rehabilitation program.

Keywords: ACL tear; Pain intervention; Pain management; Radiofrequency; Visual Analogue Scale score.

Publication types

Case Reports