Papers of the Week

Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a minimally invasive interventional technique that provides a novel and effective treatment strategy for neuropathic pain (NP). PRF is advantageous because it does not damage nerves and avoids sensory loss after treatment. At present, animal studies have demonstrated that PRF is safe and effective for relieving the NP associated with sciatic nerve damage in rats with chronic constriction injury (CCI). However, the mechanism through which this effect occurs is unknown. An increasing body of evidence shows that the expression of the P2X ligand-gated ion channel 3 (P2X3) receptor is closely related to NP; this study was to investigate whether the expression of this receptor is involved in NP relief due to PRF.