Articles: neuralgia.
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Idiopathic facial pain syndromes are relatively rare. A uniform classification system for facial pain became available only recently, and many physicians and dentists are still unfamiliar with these conditions. As a result, patients frequently do not receive appropriate treatment. ⋯ With the aid of this pragmatic classification system, the clinician can distinguish persistent and attack-like primary facial pain syndromes rather easily and treat each syndrome appropriately.
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Central neuropathic pain can result from any type of injury to the central nervous system. Treatment of central neuropathic pain is very challenging. Recently, a novel stimulation paradigm, called burst stimulation, has been presented as an excellent alternative in a group of patients with intractable central neuropathic pain. We report 2 cases where burst spinal cord stimulation (SCS) was applied in patients with neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury (SCI) or traumatic brain injury. ⋯ The efficacy of burst SCS in central neuropathic pain is desirable considering the severity of pain in such patients, the refractory nature of their pain, and the paucity of alternative therapeutic options.
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The analgesic effect of alpha-2 adrenergic receptor (α2AR) agonists, which relieve chronic neuropathic pain, is highly variable among individuals. Here, we used a mouse model of spared nerve injury (SNI) to show that treatment time after the establishment of neuropathic pain was important for the variability in the analgesic efficacy of α2AR agonists, which was related to the activity of regulator of G-protein signaling protein 4 (RGS4). Intrathecal treatment with α2AR agonists, clonidine (0.1-1 nmol) or dexmedetomidine (0.3-1 nmol), relieved mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia on postoperative day (POD) 14, but their efficacy was weaker on POD28 and absent on POD56. ⋯ Whereas, the coadministration of CCG50014 with clonidine (1 nmol) or dexmedetomidine (1 nmol) did not cause side effects. These findings demonstrated that SNI-induced increase in plasma membrane RGS4 expression was associated with low efficacy of α2AR agonists in a model of persistent, chronic neuropathic pain. Furthermore, α2AR agonist administration together with RGS4-targeted intervention represents a novel strategy for the treatment of neuropathic pain to overcome dose-limiting side effects.
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Chronic abdominal pain in the pediatric population has the potential to interfere with all aspects of life and daily functioning. Pain may originate from various sites including the viscera, fascial layers, muscles, or peripheral nerves. ⋯ We report a case highlighting the use of pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of lower abdominal pain secondary to ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric neuralgia. In carefully selected patients, as part of a multimodal regimen, pulsed radiofrequency can aid recovery by providing effective and long-lasting pain relief, thus allowing time for effective rehabilitation.
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To evaluate the effectiveness of dorsal root ganglion neurostimulation for the treatment of refractory, focal pain in the pelvis and lower extremities. ⋯ In accordance with the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system, low-quality evidence supports dorsal root ganglion neurostimulation as a more effective treatment than traditional neurostimulation for pain and dysfunction associated with complex regional pain syndrome or causalgia. Very low-quality evidence supports dorsal root ganglion neurostimulation for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain, chronic neuropathic groin pain, phantom limb pain, chronic neuropathic pain of the trunk and/or limbs, and diabetic neuropathy.