BJA Advance Access originally published online on October 24, 2006
British Journal of Anaesthesia 2006 97(6):866-868; doi:10.1093/bja/ael279
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Spinal cord stimulation for relief of abdominal pain in two patients with familial Mediterranean fever
Department of Pain Management, Russells Hall Hospital Dudley DY1 2HQ, UK
*Corresponding author. E-mail: drsandeepkapur{at}hotmail.com
Familial Mediterranean fever is a hereditary disease characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and serosal inflammation that commonly presents as severe abdominal pain. Though colchicine remains the mainstay of treatment, a significant proportion of patients are partially responsive, unresponsive or intolerant to it. We present two such cases where spinal cord stimulation (SCS) was used to manage the paroxysmal abdominal pain associated with this disease. Abdominal visceral pain pathways and the application of SCS techniques in its management are discussed.