Objectives. The
pain associated with
herpes zoster can be classified as acute phase, persistent phase, or chronic phase, but if it is prolonged, it becomes resistant to treatment. It is clinically important to prevent transition to
postherpetic neuralgia after the onset of
herpes zoster, and the outcome depends on whether continuous and potent
pain management can be achieved between the acute and persistent phases. We evaluated the effect of
pain management leading to quick termination of
pain using temporary
spinal cord stimulation (SCS) which does not require implantation of a device. Materials and Methods. We performed continuous epidural blocks (CEB) on 52 patients with severe persistent
pain of
postherpetic neuralgia in the thoracic nerve area, and also inserted spinal stimulation leads in 14 who showed no improvement in the severe
pain with concomitant
pharmacotherapy. We expected to see the termination of
pain with adequate
analgesic effects mainly with SCS, and secondarily with the
epidural analgesia as rescue
therapy. Results. Severe
pain accompanied by sensory dysfunction remained in 14 cases. By introducing SCS to the CEB, the visual analog scale baseline was rapidly reduced. Less
epidural analgesia was required and the adverse reactions of lowered blood pressure in three cases and
urinary retention in seven cases disappeared soon. The self-rated satisfaction was higher with SCS than with CEB in all 14 cases, because it is highly controllable and has minimal
activities of daily living-lowering effects. Conclusion. Temporary SCS, which does not require implantation of a device, may have a potent
analgesic effect on severe
pain in patients in the persistent phase after
herpes zoster, and prevent transition to
postherpetic neuralgia.