Background: Suprascapular nerve entrapment is a medical condition characterized by clinical symptoms such as neck and shoulder pain, discomfort, upper limb weakness, and heaviness. These symptoms are caused by the compression of the suprascapular nerve at the suprascapular notch. The treatment of this nerve entrapment has been a long-standing challenge. Intelligent-assisted radiofrequency neurolysis is a novel and promising non-pharmacological treatment. Herein, we presented the therapeutic efficacy of this technique in 40 patients. Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of three-dimensional (3D) CT imaging integrated with intraoperative intelligence-assisted calibration for radiofrequency ablation of the suprascapular nerve. Methods: A total of 40 patients were enrolled. The control group received the conventional surgery, while the treatment group was given 3D CT imaging plus the intraoperative intelligence-assisted calibration. Intelligence-assisted refers to the use of a smartphone app based on gravity calibration to realize the precise measurement and correction of the puncture needle angle during the operation, combined with 3D CT imaging to achieve the accurate positioning of the suprascapular nerve entrapment site. Data was analyzed on the two groups, including the time taken from starting positioning to successful puncture, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores and ROWE scores before and after treatment, the therapeutic effect, complications, and number of cases with abnormal electromyography (EMG) items before and after treatment. Results: Time of puncture completion in the treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (8.06 vs 15.98 min, p < 0.05). Postoperative therapeutic effect in the treatment group was also superior to that in the control group. The treatment group had significant differences between pre- and post-treatment VAS scores and had superior ROWE scores compared to the control group. Conclusion: The application of 3D CT imaging combined with intraoperative intelligence-assisted calibration for suprascapular nerve radiofrequency ablation can effectively shorten the operation time, improve the procedural efficiency and therapeutic effect and significantly reduce patients’ clinical symptoms. Plain Language Summary: To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to test how well intelligent-assisted radiofrequency ablation works to treat suprascapular nerve entrapment (a condition that causes pain or weakness in the shoulder due to pressure on a specific nerve). Our team found that this technique can accurately position the treatment area and shorten the time needed for surgery. It also produced promising clinical results and is suitable for minimally invasive procedures (surgeries that use small incisions, causing less harm to the body). This means the surgery reduces stress for patients during the procedure, lowers the chance of related complications (problems after surgery), and creates a positive cycle that improves the overall treatment process. Keywords: three-dimensional CT imaging, intraoperative intelligence-assisted calibration, suprascapular nerve, radiofrequency ablation, analgesic effect
Fan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.