Image-guided Nerve Cryoablation for Post-thoracotomy Pain Syndrome

Chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) can cause significant patient distress and is frequently difficult to manage. Percutaneous intercostal nerve (ICN) cryoablation by palpation of surface landmarks can be risky, as inaccurate probe placement can lead to hemo- or pneumothorax. Experience with image-guided ICN cryoablation with treatment planning and device navigation is limited. A patient with intractable PTPS was treated with ICN cryoablation under cone-beam computed tomography guidance with software-assisted needle trajectory planning and ablation zone simulation. This procedure provided the patient ~8 weeks of relief. This case demonstrated that ICN cryoablation is feasible under image guidance with device navigation and ablation simulation and may result in a few months of pain relief in cases of intractable PTPS.