Faculty Bibliography

Targeted muscle reinnervation and regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces are increasingly utilized strategies to mitigate phantom and residual limb pain in amputees. These interventions are successful, yet often imperfect in completely ameliorating neuropathic pain following amputation. Implantable peripheral nerve stimulators are another tool in the armamentarium for management of neuropathic pain. These devices have been utilized adjacent to the spinal cord and more recently in the extremities with good results, and there has been additional interest in their utility for nerve regeneration. In this case report, we present the first reported case in the readily available literature of combining contemporary peripheral nerve strategies with an implantable peripheral nerve stimulator for postamputation neuropathic pain. The patient is a 72-year-old man who presented with severe neuropathic pain following prior below knee amputation with an osseointegrated implant and regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces. The authors performed targeted muscle reinnervation with intra-operative placement of a peripheral nerve stimulator. He did well after the procedure, and his pain improved with activation of the device. The most symptomatic nerve is targeted with the nerve stimulator, and it is placed adjacent to the nerve transfer(s). Combining these contemporary techniques may lead to improved prosthetic use and quality of life for these patients.

Pseudarthrosis is a difficult complication often seen in patients with complex spinal pathology. To supplement existing neurosurgical approaches to cervicothoracic spinal instrumentation and fusion, novel vascularized rib bone grafts can be utilized in patients at high risk for failed spinal fusion. In this article, we discuss the indications, benefits, surgical technique, feasibility, and limitations of using rib vascularized rib bone grafts to augment spinal fusion.