Trond Stokke

Dr. Trond Stokke was born in Stavanger, Norway in 1948. He completed his training in anesthesiology at the University of Gottingen, Germany in 1975.

Stokke has contributed greatly to development and acceptance of pulsed radiofrequency treatment for pain. This is an interventional pain procedure where a catheter is placed in the proximity of the nerve causing problems, and a charged field is applied. This reduces that nerve "repeated" learning of sending pain signals to the brain. If one suffers pain over time the nerve will cause the transcription of molecules that make it more efficient at transmitting pain impulses to the brain. One of Stokke's mentors was Menno Sluijter. There are currently many multicenter studies of pulsed radiofrequency being published. They may be published under radiofrequency denervation.

Stokke is well known in the interventional pain community in Europe. He is involved in teaching, but also practices a few days a week in Oslo, Norway. Stokke has reviewed several books and participated in the composition of several scientific/medical articles.

Stokke takes an interest in his patients which is much greater than most doctors. He has tried to change the attitude many pain patients are met with when they encounter the healthcare system, particularly the bureaucratic one in Norway. He advocates pain relief, not just pain reduction. For this he has made many personal sacrifices, not just financial. He has frequently been interviewed on Norwegian television and in the popular press. However, his notability comes from furthering pulsed radiofrequency or pulsed radiofrequency denervation as it is also called.