Table 2.
Opioid-sparing effect of peripheral neuromodulation in chronic pain or postoperative pain relief in clinical setting.
| Pain types | Subjecta | Target nerve (Acupoint) | Stimulation Mode | Opioid | Opioid Reduction (PostOP time)b | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic peripheral nerve pain | American (24 vs 0) | Ulnar/ Median/ Radial | PNS | Narcotics (Meperidine) | Opioid cessation in 23/24 patients. | Strege et al. (1994) |
| Chronic pain (Carpal tunnel syndrome) | American (9 vs 0) | Median | PNS | Oral narcotics | Opioid reduction in 8/9 patients. | Deer et al. (2010) |
| Postoperative (total knee arthroplasty) | American (7 vs 0) | Femoral/ sciatic | pPNS | Oxycodone | Opioid cessation: 45–60 to 6 days. | Ilfeld et al. (2019) |
| Postoperative (major spinal surgery) | Austrian (14 vs 11) | Dermatome of incision site | TENS | Piritramide | 62.1%. | Unterrainer et al. (2010) |
| Postoperative (major gynaecological procedures) | American♀ (25 vs 25) | Dermatome of incision site | TENS | Morphine | 50% (24 hr) 53% (overall). | Hamza et al. (1999) |
| Postoperative (lower abdominal surgery) | American♀ (25 vs 25) | Radial (LI4) | TEAS | Hydromorphone | 34% (24 hr) 46% (overall). | Wang et al. (1997) |
| Postoperative (total abdominal hysterectomy/ myomectomy surgery) | American♀ (25 vs 25) | Sciatic (ST36) | TEAS /TENS | Hydromorphone | 39% (24 hr) 38% (overall). | Chen et al. (1998) |
| Postoperative (total hip arthroplasty) | Chinese; (30 vs 30) | Median (PC6) /Radial (LI4) /Sciatic (GB31-ST36) | TEAS | Fentanyl | 37% (24 hr) 31% (48hr). | Lan et al. (2012) |
| Postoperative (inguinal hernia repair) | Polish (24 vs 23) | Radial (LI4)/ Dermatome of incision site | TEAS /TENS | Morphine | 51.6% (24 hr). | Szmit et al. (2021) |
a
The number of subjects in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively. Both genders were recruited, unless specified.
b
The opioid reduction percentage 24 hours post-operation or overall. PNS: direct peripheral nerve stimulation; PostOP: post-operation; pPNS: ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation; TEAS: transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation at the GB31 (Fengshi), LI4 (Hegu), PC6 (Neiguan) or ST36 (Zusanli) acupoint. TENS: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.