Phantom pain therapy with salmon-calcitonin and influence on postoperative patient satisfaction

In this prospective clinical study we examined the intravenous application of salmon-calcitonin in eight patients with severe phantom limb pain (Visual Analogue Scale = 50-100). The patients presented at the Acute Pain Service (APS) section of the Second Department of Surgery, University of Cologne. Six of eight patients (75 %) had no phantom limb pain after 10 days of intravenous treatment with salmon-calcitonin (maximum of five cycles of calcitonin infusion). Systematic follow-up examinations after 3, 6 and 12 months showed long-term success. Patient satisfaction was examined with a numeric rating scale (NRS 1-6) between the single infusion cycles. When patient satisfaction was lour, the physician modified the lime period or drug dosage between infusions. This study shows good or excellent results in patient satisfaction for six of eight patients (75%). A prospective randomized trial is required to verify the excellent results of intravenous salmon-calcitonin in a larger population. Alternative pharmacological and operative treatments of phantom limb pain are critically reviewed and assessed.