Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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This study assessed the effectiveness of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar annuloplasty and nucleoplasty (PELAN) for the treatment of patients with discogenic low back pain. ⋯ In patients with discogenic low back pain refractory to conservative treatment, PELAN provided favorable clinical outcomes with success rates that rival those of surgery for this condition.
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To evaluate the association between osmophobia and the characteristics of patients and their headaches, among migraine patients. ⋯ Osmophobia in migraine patients is associated with significant anxiety symptoms, length of headache history, and phonophobia.
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To determine the effectiveness and risks of fluoroscopically-guided cervical medial branch thermal radiofrequency neurotomy (CMBTRFN) for treating chronic neck pain of zygapophysial joint origin. ⋯ If performed as described in the International Spine Intervention Society Guidelines, fluoroscopically-guided CMBTRFN is effective for abolishing zygapophysial joint pain and carries only minor risks.
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Observational Study
Profiles of Urine Drug Test in Clinical Pain Patients vs Pain Research Study Subjects.
To examine similarities and differences in urine drug test (UDT) results in clinical pain patients and pain subjects participating in pain research studies. ⋯ These results support previous findings that PUD is a common finding in clinical pain patients, particularly in those prescribed opioid therapy, and we suggest that UDT be used as routine screening testing in pain research studies.
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Observational Study
Improving Trainee Competency and Comfort Level with Needle Driving Using Simulation Training.
To assess whether a combination of lecture and model simulation improves resident competency and comfort level with needle driving for interventional pain medicine procedures. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that simulation training may improve both trainee comfort level and competency with needle driving. After a brief lecture and a 30-minute training session with the simulator, subjective comfort measures and competency measures (more subjects were able to reach the target, vertical and horizontal deviations from the target decreased) were significantly improved. This suggests that simulation may be a helpful tool in teaching needle driving skills.