Electroconvulsive therapy for CRPS with depression: A case report

Park, Sun Kyung; Choi, Yun Suk; Park, Joon Hyuk; Ryu, Jae Sung; Yun, So Hui

Case Report

Spinal Pain

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2013;8(1):13-15.
Published online January 31, 2013.

Electroconvulsive therapy for CRPS with depression: A case report

Sun Kyung Park, Yun Suk Choi, Joon Hyuk Park, Jae Sung Ryu, So Hui Yun

¹Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Jeju National University Hospital, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea. solafide5@yahoo.co.kr
²Department of Neuropsychiatry, Jeju National University Hospital, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea.

Abstract

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic painful condition that may arise in the site of an earlier injury or operation to a limb. Like all chronic painful condition, it is associated with depressed mood. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure when traditional management with systemic medications, nerve blocks, and behavioral pain management were unsuccessful. ECT has been used in the treatment of chronic pain for over 50 years. CRPS and comorbid depression have also been treated successfully with ECT. However, not much has been done to clarify the ECT target in patients, whether the pain or the depression. We report a case of intractable chronic regional pain syndrome with secondary depression in which both of that were treated successfully with an initial ECT course.

Key Words: CRPS, Depression, Electroconvulsive therapy