Neuropathic pain controlled for more than a year by monthly sessions of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex.

Neuropathic pain can be controlled by motor cortex stimulation using surgically-implanted electrodes in a majority of selected patients. Analgesic effects were also found to result from repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the cortex. We report the case of a woman, in whom drug-resistant peripheral pain was controlled for 16 months by monthly sessions of motor cortex rTMS until a durable pain relief was obtained after surgical implantation of a cortical stimulator. This case illustrates the value of rTMS in helping patients to wait for surgery.