The Clinical journal of pain
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Infrared imaging (thermography) has developed rapidly over the past 10-15 years as a diagnostic imaging procedure. Despite scientific validation and proven use in the clinical setting, neuromuscular thermography has met with much criticism and skepticism. ⋯ The basic scientific foundation of medicine should preclude the prejudicial influence of emotion, politics, and anecdotes. Scientific investigations, for more than 2 decades now, have demonstrated that neuromuscular thermography is of proven value in the clinical evaluation of various pain disorders and neuromuscular conditions, including radicular pathology.
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Homicide-Suicide (H-S) is a form of dual death where the murder is closely followed by the suicide of the perpetrator. H-S is extremely rare and has not previously been described within the chronic pain patient population. ⋯ Psychiatric examination data from the victims of H-S revealed a number of complex, psychiatric, social, vocational, and litigation problems. Demographically the case displays some characteristics associated with suicide pacts.
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Fifty-one subjects with chronic pain were assessed for couple functioning utilizing the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale. In addition, they completed the Beck Depression Inventory. ⋯ Depressed subjects reported a higher level of couple dysfunction than the nondepressed group. Duration of pain was found to be unrelated to family adaptability, family cohesion, and family stability.
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One hundred-eight questionnaires were mailed to Pain and Headache Centers evenly spread throughout Italy to evaluate the current status of pain clinics and therapy. Sixty-three centers (58.3%) responded: fifty-two (82.5%) were Pain Clinics, while eleven (17.5%) were Headache Clinics. Approximately half of the clinics were run by anesthesiologists (43.3%), followed by neurosurgeons (15%), and neurologists (10%). ⋯ A multidisciplinary team approach was used by 65% of the respondents. Treatment modalities most frequently used were drugs (mean utilization index, MUI: 138), followed by anesthesiological methods (MUI: 70), neuroaugmentive procedures (MUI: 51), psychiatric and psychophysiological methods (MUI: 33), and neurosurgical procedures (MUI: 28). Mean percent immediate and long-term treatment successes (pain relief 50%) were the following: (a) cancer pain (74.7-63.3%): (b) non-oncologic pain (66.7-50.3%); (c) chronic primary headache (64.2-52.6%); and (d) orofacial pain (64.2-52.5%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)