Sistemas baseados em realidade virtual e seus resultados analgésicos no tratamento da dor do membro fantasma: uma Revisão de Escopo

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize the available scientific evidence on Virtual Reality treatment for phantom limb pain and their results on pain. Method: This scoping review was conducted according to the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and the instructions of the PRISMA-ScR initiative (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). The research was conducted in five databases and in sources of unpublished studies and gray literature. Two independent researchers selected the articles and considered the following inclusion criteria: complete, free primary articles, without time, language, or country restrictions, that applied virtual reality in adult amputees with phantom pain. The results were analyzed qualitatively considering the outcome of interest – pain – and presented descriptively in tables and graphs. Results: Twenty-nine articles published between 2006 and 2024, in general, used mirror therapy concepts and phantom motor execution. The immersive experience adopted 3D gamification. There is a tendency to evaluate its use at home. The integration of personalized software with specific devices makes it difficult to replicate experiments in clinical practice. Conclusions: Although the review results indicate the potential of VR technology in reducing phantom limb pain, the designs of the analyzed studies limit the possibility of establishing causal relationships between VR and pain reduction. Future research is required to adopt rigorous methodologies and larger sample sizes.