3 Committee considerations

3 Committee considerations

The evidence

3.1 To inform the committee, NICE did a rapid review of the published literature on the efficacy and safety of this procedure. This comprised a comprehensive literature search and detailed review of the evidence from 3 sources, which was discussed by the committee. The evidence included 3 case series, and is presented in table 2 of the interventional procedures overview. Other relevant literature is in the appendix of the overview.

3.2 The specialist advisers and the committee considered the key efficacy outcomes to be: reduced neuropathic pain, improved patient-reported outcomes, including quality of life, and long-term efficacy.

3.3 The specialist advisers and the committee considered the key safety outcomes to be: bleeding and inadvertent neurological damage, including stroke and cognitive dysfunction.

3.4 Patient commentary was sought but none was received.

Committee comments

3.5 The committee was informed that surgical thalamotomy for neuropathic pain is not currently done in the UK.

ISBN: 978-1-4731-3166-8

  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)