Predictors of Success After Intercostal Nerve Radiofrequency Treatment for Intercostal Neuralgia (ICN-RF-IN)

January 16, 2026 updated by: Mesut Bakır, Mersin University

Predictors of Treatment Success After Intercostal Nerve Radiofrequency for Intercostal Neuralgia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This retrospective cohort study will review medical records of patients treated with intercostal nerve radiofrequency for intercostal neuralgia. The goal is to identify patient and clinical factors that are associated with treatment success after the procedure. Outcomes will be assessed using pain measures documented during routine follow-up visits, along with any recorded adverse events. No additional visits, tests, or interventions are required because this study uses previously collected clinical data.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This retrospective cohort study analyzed anonymized medical records of adults (≥18 years) with intercostal neuralgia (post-traumatic, postherpetic, or idiopathic) treated in Pain Clinic of Mersin University Faculty of Medicine who underwent ultrasound-guided intercostal conventional radiofrequency ablation (CRF) or pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) between January 1, 2018 and May 30, 2025.

Primary outcome is treatment response at 6 months, defined by IMMPACT criteria as a ≥50% reduction or ≥4-point decrease in NRS-11 from baseline; secondary outcomes include changes in NRS-11 over time, and exploratory analyses evaluate whether clinical factors (e.g., age, sex, pain duration, diagnosis, presence of allodynia, and number of treated intercostal levels )are associated with response using multivariable logistic regression (p < 0.05 considered statistically significant).

The findings are expected to clarify which patient and clinical characteristics are linked to better outcomes after intercostal nerve radiofrequency and to support more individualized decision-making in the management of intercostal neuralgia.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Mersin
      • Mersin, Mersin, Turkey (Türkiye), 33110
        • Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Algology

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults (≥18 years) with intercostal neuralgia who underwent ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve radiofrequency treatment (conventional or pulsed) in routine clinical care and had documented baseline and at least 6-month follow-up NRS-11 pain scores.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years.
  • Diagnosis of intercostal neuralgia (post-traumatic, postherpetic, or idiopathic) with thoracic neuropathic pain for at least 1 month
  • Underwent ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve radiofrequency treatment (conventional radiofrequency ablation [CRF] or pulsed radiofrequency [PRF]) as part of routine clinical care
  • Documented baseline NRS-11 pain score prior to the procedure and follow-up NRS-11 data available through at least 6 months after treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Thoracic pain attributable to malignancy-related causes (e.g., active malignant invasion, spinal metastasis) or an intrathoracic mass
  • History of thoracic surgery at the corresponding thoracic dermatome level (e.g., thoracotomy or VATS)
  • Prior radiofrequency treatment at the same intercostal nerve site
  • Receipt of other interventional treatments targeting the intercostal nerve during the study period (e.g., cryoablation or chemical neurolysis)
  • Insufficient follow-up data (less than 6 months of follow-up NRS-11 documentation).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Intercostal Nerve Radiofrequency Cohort
Adults with intercostal neuralgia who underwent ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve radiofrequency treatment (conventional or pulsed) as part of routine clinical care.
Procedure: Intercostal Nerve Conventional Radiofrequency Ablation (CRF)
Ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve lesioning at 80°C for 90 seconds following sensory stimulation.
Procedure: Intercostal Nerve Pulsed Radiofrequency (PRF)
Ultrasound-guided intercostal pulsed radiofrequency delivered at 42°C for 240 seconds.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Treatment response at 6 months (IMMPACT-defined responder rate)
Time Frame: 6 months
Responder defined as ≥50% reduction or ≥4-point decrease in NRS-11 compared with baseline.
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in NRS-11 pain score from baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
NRS-11 ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).
Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Mersin University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 16, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MERSINALG-INTERCOSTALRF-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This is a retrospective study based on de-identified patient records. No individual participant data (IPD) will be shared. Only aggregated results may be published in scientific journals.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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