Der Schmerz
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Spinal injections are a treatment option in the conservative management of degenerative spinal disorders. The indications must be critically reviewed for every patient. ⋯ A large number of imaging techniques are used to achieve a precise and safe needle placement in interventional procedures. The following article presents an overview of common fluoroscopy-guided spinal injection techniques for the cervical spine.
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Editorial Historical Article
[Der Schmerz: An interdisciplinary journal for 25 years!].
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is caused by degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and a resulting dysfunction of the nigrostriatal pathways including the basal ganglia. Beside motor symptoms, different types of pain (e.g., dystonic musculoskeletal pain or central pain) occur in a considerable number of patients. ⋯ The present article gives an overview of the relevant experimental studies, investigating the abnormalities of pain processing in PD by means of electrophysiological [electroencephalography (EEG), sympathetic skin response (SSR)] and psychophysical methods [quantitative sensory testing (QST), RIII reflex threshold]. Based on a review of the literature, it is postulated that dysfunction in endogenous pain inhibition caused by dopaminergic deficiency in the basal ganglia, especially in the striatum, but also in mesolimbic areas is a main pathophysiological mechanism involved in nociceptive abnormalities in PD.