Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2019
RNA expression preoperatively and postoperatively following total knee replacement: a pilot study in patients with and without chronic postsurgical pain.
Differences in gene expression may provide insight into the biological pathways involved in chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). We compared blood RNA microarrays preoperatively and postoperatively following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with and without CPSP. ⋯ Despite a lack of clinical differences, patients who develop CPSP have upregulated pain pathways preoperatively; however, only the chemokine pathway remained differentially upregulated at 6 months postsurgery.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2019
Randomized comparison between interscalene and costoclavicular blocks for arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
This randomized trial compared ultrasound-guided interscalene block (ISB) and costoclavicular brachial plexus block (CCB) for arthroscopic shoulder surgery. We hypothesized that CCB would provide equivalent analgesia to ISB 30 min after surgery without the risk of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. ⋯ NCT03411343.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2019
Bilateral distribution of anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES): are clinical features and outcomes comparable to unilateral ACNES?
Mirror-image pain may occur in the presence of a one-sided peripheral nerve lesion leading to a similar distribution of pain on the contralateral side of the body ("mirrored"). Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES) is a neuropathic pain syndrome due to entrapment of terminal branches of intercostal nerves T7-12 in the abdominal wall and sometimes presents bilaterally. This study aims to address specifics of bilateral ACNES and to determine potential differences in clinical presentation and treatment outcomes when compared with the unilateral form of ACNES. ⋯ One in eight patients with ACNES has bilateral abdominal wall pain. Characteristics are similar to unilateral ACNES cases. Further studies aimed at underlying mechanisms in mirror image pain pathogenesis could provide a more targeted approach in the management of this neuropathic pain.