The Clinical journal of pain
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To document the occurrence of reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the stump in two patients with below-knee amputation. ⋯ Reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the stump should be suspected in below-knee amputees whenever severe pain persists over a period of 3 to 4 months following amputation.
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No standardized criteria for the diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) are in common use. An RSD score scoring system of diagnostic criteria is proposed. Diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy by RSD score correlated well with clinical diagnosis in a group of 25 patients who had treatment for chronic upper extremity pain. Standardization of diagnostic criteria with the RSD score should enhance comparison of the outcomes of studies concerning the treatment of RSD.
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To examine the relationship of psychological variables to pain and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) use in adolescents undergoing orthopedic surgeries. ⋯ The psychological status of adolescents and their parents can significantly influence postoperative pain and PCA use.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Persistent low-back pain is real. However, diagnostic spinal injections are not helpful in its evaluation.
We endeavored to assess the short-term effects of intrathecal fentanyl and lidocaine in chronic-pain patients by ascertaining whether the opioid fentanyl, by virtue of its lack of sensory and motor paralysis, conferred any diagnostic advantages over lidocaine, a local anesthetic whose effects include sensory and motor paralysis. Neuraxial administration of fentanyl has been touted as an improved diagnostic tool to distinguish between peripheral and central pain, because the absence of sensory and motor effects may avert the patient's presumption of the onset of analgesia based on these cues. Twenty-two patients with persistent low-back pain, whose investigations had determined that they were not surgical candidates, were studied using a counter-balanced, placebo-controlled, and double-blinded crossover design. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the baseline median-pain scores among injection types. The baseline and best cerebrospinal fluid-pain scores were significantly different, suggesting a placebo effect. The best pain scores for fentanyl and lidocaine were superior to their own baseline levels and to the best cerebrospinal fluid scores.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)