Neuromodulation Techniques for Pain Treatment: A Step-by-Step Guide to Interventional Procedures and Managing Complications

Neuromodulation implants are currently one of the most successful techniques in the treatment of chronic pain, a condition that affects more and more patients each year, leading to reduced quality of life as well as economic losses.

Neuromodulation implants for pain are a relatively new technique and are being increasingly used around the globe. However, technical training is not available for every implanter as there are relatively few centers in the world. Further, refresher courses for low-rate implanters are not available. This book fills that gap by offering an update on the best techniques currently used, providing a step-by-step guide on how to perform these procedures correctly.

Based on the experiences of leading physicians in the field, it also discusses how to manage both major and minor complications. Lastly, it covers the neuromodulatory intervention techniques used to treat chronic pain in various clinical areas. As such it is a valuable resource for pain physicians as well as neurosurgeons, orthopedists and anesthetists.

Tiago da Silva Freitas, MD, PhD, FIPP, graduated from the Medical School of the Federal University of Goiás in 2001. He completed his post-graduation / residency in neurosurgery at the Base Hospital of the Federal District (2002- 2005), and his subspecialization in functional neurosurgery at Hospital das Clínicas of University of São Paulo (USP) (Brazil) and Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA (2006). He received his Master's and PhD degrees in Health Science from the University of Brasília (UnB) in 2012 and 2018 respectively. He is currently a member of the Brazilian Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (SBENF), Brazilian Society for the Study of Pain (SBED), American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (SBENF), Brazilian Society for the Study of Pain (SBED) and past President of the Brazilian Society of Neuromodulation (SBNM). He is a neurosurgeon at the “Instituto da Dor de Brasília” (InDor-DF), Syrian-Lebanese Hospital of Brasíliaand the Base Hospital of the Federal District. His areas of clinical practice and research are neurosurgical treatment of pain, movement disorders and psychiatric disorders.

Bernardo A. de Monaco, MD completed his medical degree (1999-2004) at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) - Brazil, neurosurgery residency at the same institution, and subspecialization in functional neurosurgery at USP and Universitätsklinikum Freiburg – Germany (2011). He is member of the board of Brazilian Neuromodulation Society (SBNM – INS Brazil) and member of the board of Brazilian Functional and Stereotactic Society (SBENF), he represents the Brazilian Neurosurgery Society (SBN) as a pain consultant specialist among Brazilian Medical Association (AMB).  He has been working with pain and spasticity for more than 10 years, and he is the neurosurgery director at Association for the Assistance of Disabled Children (AACD-SP) since 2016. He has experience in ablative and neuromodulatory procedures, and his PhD is in course at USP (from 2018). He founded and has been the CEO of CDF – Clinica de Dor e Funcional (Functional and Pain Clinic) at Sao Paulo – Brazil.

Stanley Golovac, MD has 35 years of experience in interventional pain medicine. He graduated from the School of Medicine at the Technological University of Santiago (UTESA) in 1985, and is an Associate professor at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital. He co-founded and has been the CEO of the Florida Pain Institute in Merritt Island FL since 1993. He is an international and national speaker on many topics, and he invented the AccuraC needle. Together with John Mathis MD, he is Editor of Image Guided Spine Interventions.