Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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This review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of diagnostic criteria and clinical phenotypes on quantitative sensory testing (QST) outcomes in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). ⋯ Based on the findings of this review, classifying CRPS according to presence or absence of nerve lesion into CRPS-I and II, location (upper or lower limb) or according to sex might not be clinically relevant as all appear to have comparable sensory profiles that might suggest similar underlying mechanisms. In contrast, warm vs cold phenotypes exhibited clear differences in their associated QST sensory profiles. To the extent that differences in underlying mechanisms might lead to differential treatment responsiveness, it appears unlikely that CRPS-I vs II, CRPS location, or patient sex would prove useful in guiding clinical management.