Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Apr 1997
ReviewComplex regional pain syndromes: including "reflex sympathetic dystrophy" and "causalgia".
"Reflex sympathetic dystrophy" and "causalgia" are now classified by the International Association for the Study of Pain as Complex Regional Pain Syndromes I and II. Sympathetically maintained pain is a frequent but variable component of these syndromes, as the sympathetic and somatosensory pathways are no longer functionally distinct. ⋯ Clinical experience supports early intervention with sympatholytic procedures (pharmacological or nerve block techniques), but further scientific data is required to confirm the appropriate timing and relative efficacy of different procedures. Patients with recurrent or refractory symptoms are best managed in a multi-disciplinary pain clinic as more invasive and intensive treatment will be required to minimize ongoing pain and disability.