DBS for chronic post stroke pain
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pragmatic assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial of deep brain stimulation for chronic post stroke pain
IRAS ID
264275
Contact name
Tipu Aziz
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 4 days
Research summary
Chronic pain is common with moderate to severe disabling pain affecting between 10.4 to 14.3% of the UK population. It is frequently associated with damage to nerves or the brain, this is called neuropathic pain. Chronic neuropathic pain can occur after strokes in up to 20% of stroke survivors (Central Post Stroke Pain, CPSP) and this form of pain can be difficult to treat with standard medical therapies. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery involves the insertion into the brain of electrical leads connected to a pacemaker device similar to that used in the heart. This allows regions of the brain to be electrically stimulated, allowing controlled changes in the function of brain networks. Brain regions associated with pain perception have been described, together known as the central pain network, and alterations to this network have been proposed to underlie CPSP. DBS is an intervention that allows clinicians to intervene in the functions of this network with the aim of improving pain symptoms. However, DBS is a surgical procedure with risks and a financial cost. Moreover, there is no randomised controlled trial evidence, the gold standard of medical evidence, that the intervention works. We propose to undertake such a trial to study if this form of intervention is effective at treating pain in stroke patients.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0559
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion