• Z Wajima, T Shitara, T Inoue, and R Ogawa.
• Department of Anesthesia, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School, Inba-gun, Japan. HFB01245@nifty.ne.jp
• Clin J Pain. 2000 Sep 1; 16 (3): 265-9.

ObjectiveThere have been many reports that spinal anesthesia induces severe lightning pain in the lower limbs of patients with phantom limb pain, tabes dorsalis, or causalgia. We report on a patient with neuropathic pain of central origin who showed newly developed severe lightning pain after therapeutic subarachnoid block (SAB). We performed SAB 16 times in this patient, and he complained of severe pain each time. We investigated which drug was best for treating such induced pain by administering various drugs to the patient.SettingThe patient was hospitalized for treatment and observation.PatientThe patient was a 48-year-old man with neuropathic pain secondary to an incomplete spinal cord injury at the cervical segment.InterventionsVarious drugs were administered for relieving the newly developed severe pain, and the effectiveness of these agents was compared.Results And ConclusionsIntravenous thiopental, fentanyl, butorphanol, ketamine, midazolam, droperidol, and sevoflurane-oxygen anesthesia were quite effective. Intramuscular butorphanol was not effective. Intravenous physiologic saline and atropine sulfate as a placebo, intrathecal morphine hydrochloride, intravenous mexiletine, and lidocaine were ineffective. Intravenous thiopental (approximately 1 mg/kg) was thought to obtain the best pain relief because it stopped the pain quickly, the dose needed was subanesthetic, and there was no adverse effect.

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