Treatment of Post-Stroke Central Pain

May 13, 2026 updated by: Nanchong Central Hospital

Efficacy and Safety of Short-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation Combined With Pharmacotherapy for Central Post-Stroke Pain: A Single-Center, Randomized, Controlled Trial

To evaluate the short-term analgesic efficacy of stSCS combined with pharmacotherapy compared with pharmacotherapy alone in patients with CPSP, measured by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score immediately after treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Sichuan
      • Nanchong, Sichuan, China, 637000
        • Recruiting
        • Nanchong Central Hospital
        • Contact:

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of central post-stroke pain (CPSP) according to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) criteria
  • Clear history of stroke confirmed by cranial CT or MRI
  • Pain occurring after stroke and distributed in body parts corresponding to central nervous system injury
  • Pain with neuropathic characteristics (e.g., burning sensation, electric shock sensation, needle prick sensation)
  • Pain not explained by other causes
  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Pain duration ≥ 3 months
  • Baseline pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score ≥ 4 points
  • Complete clinical data with follow-up time ≥ 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of chronic pain before stroke
  • Severe cognitive impairment that prevents cooperation with pain assessment (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE < 15 points)
  • Contraindications to spinal cord stimulation (SCS), such as coagulation disorders, active infections, or mental diseases that prevent cooperation
  • Malignant tumors or other severe organic diseases with expected survival < 1 year

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

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Gabapentin or Pregabalin (with optional Duloxetine or Amitriptyline)
Patients received conventional pharmacotherapy alone without any form of SCS.
Drug: Gabapentin or Pregabalin (with optional Duloxetine or Amitriptyline)
Patients received conventional pharmacotherapy alone without any form of SCS. The medication regimen followed the 2025 International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) recommendations, with gabapentin (starting at 300 mg/d, gradually titrated to 900-1800 mg/d based on tolerability, administered in 2-3 divided doses) or pregabalin (starting at 75 mg/d, gradually titrated to 150-300 mg/d in 2-3 divided doses) as the foundation, and could be combined with duloxetine (60-120 mg/d) or amitriptyline (25-75 mg at bedtime). Drug doses were individually adjusted by the attending physician according to patient response and tolerability.
Experimental: stSCS plus Gabapentin or Pregabalin (with optional Duloxetine or Amitriptyline)
Patients received stSCS in addition to conventional pharmacotherapy.
Procedure: stSCS+Gabapentin or Pregabalin (with optional Duloxetine or Amitriptyline)
Patients received stSCS in addition to conventional pharmacotherapy. stSCS Procedure: Under digital subtraction angiography (DSA) guidance, a temporary electrode (typically an 8-contact electrode) was percutaneously placed into the corresponding spinal cord segment (cervical C2-C4 or thoracic T8-T10, depending on the pain distribution area). The electrode was connected to an external stimulator to deliver continuous stimulation for 7-14 days. Stimulation parameters were as follows: frequency 40-60 Hz (conventional mode) or BurstDR mode, pulse width 210-450 μs, and amplitude individually adjusted based on the patient's sensory threshold (targeting a comfortable paresthesia covering the painful area). After the test period, the electrode was removed without a second-stage implantation. Postoperatively, patients continued receiving baseline pharmacotherapy, which could be reduced as appropriate.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score
Time Frame: Six months

The primary outcome was pain intensity measured by the NRS(0-10) recorded at baseline, immediately after stimulation termination (study group)/at the corresponding time point after treatment (control group), and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment. The proportions of patients with an NRS reduction of ≥30% and ≥50% from baseline were also recorded, with the latter defined as treatment response.

NRS ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). Higher scores indicate worse pain.
Six months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Sleep Quality assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time Frame: 6 months
The PSQI total score ranges from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate worse sleep quality
6 months
Change in Physical Health assessed by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Component Summary (SF-36 PCS)
Time Frame: 6 months
The SF-36 PCS score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better physical health
6 months
Change in Mental Health assessed by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Mental Component Summary (SF-36 MCS)
Time Frame: 6 months
The SF-36 MCS score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better mental health
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Nanchong Central Hospital

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, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025030

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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