Using an Epistim®catheter for a continuous epidural block for treating pain from herpes zoster or postherpetic zoster neuralgia

A continuous epidural block is used widely for controlling pain from acute herpes zoster or postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).Positioning the epidural catheter in the epidural space accurately is one of the challenges.An Epistim ® (Sewoon Medical, Korea) catheter was used to position the epidural catheter in the epidural space accurately.The medical records of patients who underwent a continuous epidural block with an Epistim ® catheter for treating pain from acute herpes zoster or PHN were reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of the continuous epidural block with the Epistim ® catheter.The numeric rating scales (NRS) before and after the continuous epidural block with the Epistim ® catheter were compared.The patients were divided into the acute herpes group and PHN group and NRS change in each group was observed.The NRS of all patients decreased in this study.Similar results were observed in the acute herpes group and PHN group each.When a continuous epidural block is performed, the Epistim ® catheter can be very useful for positioning the epidural catheter at the target site more accurately.In addition, it can provide good results when treating pain from herpes zoster or PHN.