Table 1.
Total (n = 56) | rTMS then tDCS (n = 26) | tDCS then rTMS (n = 30) | P-value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age (year), mean (SD) | 58.6 (13.2) | 60.2 (13.7) | 57.3 (12.9) | 0.407 |
Female, n (%) | 27 (48%) | 12 (46%) | 15 (50%) | 0.774 |
Washout period (week), median (IQR) | 10.0 (9.0, 12.1) | 10.0 (9.0, 12.0) | 10.7 (9.0, 12.1) | 0.904 |
Disease history | ||||
Pain syndrome duration (year), median (IQR) | 5 (3, 8) | 5 (3, 8) | 5 (3, 7) | 0.391 |
Pain origin, n (%): | 0.569 | |||
Brachial plexus injury | 4 (7%) | 2 (8%) | 2 (7%) | |
Spinal cord injury | 6 (11%) | 4 (15%) | 2 (7%) | |
Central post-stroke pain | 21 (37.5%) | 7 (27%) | 14 (46%) | |
Brain tumor, vascular and other pain | 4 (7%) | 2 (8%) | 2 (7%) | |
Orofacial pain | 21 (37.5%) | 11 (42%) | 10 (33%) | |
Summary of pharmacological treatment | ||||
Number of drugs/patient, median (IQR) | 2 (2, 3) | 2 (2, 3) | 2 (2, 2) | 0.340 |
Drug class, n (%): | ||||
Antiepileptics | 39 (70%) | 18 (69%) | 21 (70%) | 0.950 |
Antidepressants | 36 (64%) | 17 (65%) | 19 (63%) | 0.873 |
Strong opioids | 6 (11%) | 2 (8%) | 4 (13%) | 0.496 |
Weak opioids | 22 (39%) | 11 (42%) | 11 (37%) | 0.666 |
Non-opioid analgesics | 15 (27%) | 9 (35%) | 6 (20%) | 0.218 |
Clinical scorea during the week pre-stimulation | ||||
Pain score, mean (SD) | 6.4 (2.0) | 6.0 (2.1) | 6.7 (2.0) | 0.180 |
Sleep score, mean (SD) | 4.7 (2.5) | 4.8 (2.6) | 4.7 (2.6) | 0.876 |
Fatigue score, mean (SD) | 5.5 (2.3) | 5.0 (2.4) | 5.9 (2.2) | 0.170 |
SD standard deviation, IQR interquartile range
aNumerical rating scale (NRS). The NRS score ranges from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating no pain/sleep disorder/fatigue and 10 the worst imaginable pain/sleep disorder/fatigue