Pain
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Breast surgery is a common procedure performed in women. Many women who undergo breast surgery suffer from ill-defined pain syndromes. Although there exists a few reports on the incidence of post mastectomy pain, there are no published reports on chronic pain after breast reconstruction. ⋯ The incidence of breast pain is highest in the mastectomy + reconstruction and augmentation groups which is assumed to be secondary to breast implants. Every effort should be made to achieve the best cosmetic result in breast reconstruction which in many cases justifies the use of breast implants. However, these women should be counseled on the possibility of developing chronic pain.
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A database of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) in pain research published from 1950 to 1990 was created following an extensive literature search. By applying a refined MEDLINE search strategy from 1966 to 1990 and by hand-searching more than 1,000,000 pages of a total of 40 biomedical journals published during the period 1950-1990, more than 8000 RCTs were identified. The RCTs were published in more than 800 journals and over 85% appeared between 1976 and 1990. ⋯ A detailed description of methods to ensure efficient use of resources during the identification, retrieval and management of the information in pain relief and other fields is given. Emphasis is made on the importance of refining MEDLINE search strategies, on the use of volunteers to hand-search journals and on careful monitoring of each of the steps of the process. The potential uses of the database to guide clinical and research decisions are discussed.
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A chronic allodynia-like response to mechanical stimulation was observed in rats after severe spinal cord ischemia. This allodynia-like response was not relieved by most conventional analgesics used for treating chronic neuropathic pain. The present experiments evaluated the effects of systemically administered excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists, including the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor/channel blockers MK-801 and dextromethorphan, the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist CGS 19755 and a competitive antagonist of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor NBQX, on the chronic allodynia-like response in spinally injured rats. ⋯ It is concluded that systemic NMDA, but not AMPA, receptor antagonists may have an analgesic effect upon the chronic allodynia-like response. However, the analgesic effect of all NMDA antagonists was associated with side effects. Dextromethorphan, which is clinically tolerated and produced less side effects, may be useful for treating chronic pain associated with central nervous system injury.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Rectal afferent function in patients with inflammatory and functional intestinal disorders.
Chronic symptoms of abdominal pain and discomfort are reported by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and functional disorders of the gut, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It has recently been suggested that transient inflammatory mucosal events may result in long-lasting sensitization of visceral afferent pathways. To determine the effect of recurring intestinal tissue irritation on lumbosacral afferent pathways, and to identify a plausible mechanism that could account for the overlap in symptomatology between IBD and IBS, we compared rectal afferent mechanisms in patients with Crohn's disease (inflammation limited to the ileum) with those observed in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS. ⋯ These findings demonstrate that chronic ileal inflammation is associated with increased thresholds for discomfort and greatly diminished systemic autonomic reflex responses. In contrast, IBS patients show lowered thresholds for discomfort associated with increased autonomic responses. The findings in Crohn's patients may result from descending bulbospinal inhibition of sacral dorsal horn neurons in response to chronic intestinal tissue irritation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Generalized hypervigilance in fibromyalgia: evidence of perceptual amplification.
The hypervigilance model of pain perception states that chronic pain patients have a heightened sensitivity to pain (e.g. low threshold and tolerance) because of increased attention to external stimulation and a preoccupation with pain sensations. This study tested the hypothesis that individuals with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder of undetermined origin, have a generalized hypervigilant pattern of responding that extends beyond the pain domain. Twenty fibromyalgia out-patients, 20 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and 20 normal controls served as subjects. ⋯ The results of the psychological questionnaires revealed that the fibromyalgia and RA patients preferred lower levels of external stimulation than the control subjects. The outcome of this study supports the generalized hypervigilance hypothesis, suggesting that fibromyalgia patients have a perceptual style of amplification. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of biological, cognitive, and perceptual factors in pain disorders are discussed.