Australian PNE clinic update

[Mod8]

Latest news from Australia

Postby Mod8 » Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:25 am
Here is an update from Prof. Thierry Vancaillie ( Sydney Australia)


Our pain clinic is expanding steadily. We welcomed Amy Corcoran, osteopath, as a member of the team this past April. She is already a fully fledged member contributing immensely to the management of our patients. Soon we will also be joined by Jeni Saunders, a sports physician with an interest in the sacro-iliac joint, an often overlooked source of pelvic and perineal pain.

In terms of research, we finished an interesting trial on the ‘natural history of the pudendal nerve block’ showing that 40+% of patients have a lasting effect from a simple block. Following on from that research, we have developed a technique to visualize the Alcock canal on X-Ray which ensures that the anaesthetic is indeed reaching the pudendal nerve in the canal. This may also one day become a test to identify compression unequivocally!

Recently, I was elected Fellow of the Pain Faculty of the College of Anaesthesia (FFPMANZCA) and have been working diligently to introduce electro-stimulation to the treatment of chronic pelvic and perineal pain. I went to the states several times to attend workshops and cadaver labs to familiarize myself with the technology. We now have three patients who successfully passed the trial of treatment ( = placing electrodes with an external controller). Two of them have so far received their permanent ‘pain pace maker’ and are doing well. There is a host of information on neuro-modulation on the Boston Scientific website. Their technology is called ‘Precision Plus System’.

We continue however to use Botulinum Toxin and trigger point injections as well as topical ointments, in addition to physiotherapy, osteopathy and psychotherapy, as treatment modalities. Our next project with Botulinum Toxin is to develop a dose-response curve for individual muscles. This will assist physicians, interested to use this modality, in applying the Toxin in the proper amount.

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