Articles: neuralgia.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2019
ReviewCannabis-based medicines for chronic pain management: current and future prospects.
The medicinal use of cannabis has recently become the focus of much medical, as well as political, attention. This reality of growing use but limited evidence creates unique dilemmas for the prescribing clinician. The purpose of this review is to explore current evidence and gaps in knowledge and offer some practical considerations. ⋯ The endocannabinoid system is undoubtedly a new and exciting pharmaceutical target for chronic pain management, but transition from preclinical to clinical studies has so far proved difficult. Although it is reasonable to consider cannabinoids for otherwise unresponsive pain, care should be taken in frail clinical populations. As this has become a socioeconomic and political issue in which agendas often take precedence over due diligence, there is a pressing need for unbiased empirical data and high quality evidence to better inform prescribers and patients.
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Controversy still exists regarding the efficiency and safety of ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve (II/IH) block versus transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block for pain management after inguinal hernia repair. The purpose of the current meta-analysis was to perform a relatively credible and comprehensive assessment to compare the efficiency and safety of II/IH versus TAP for pain management after inguinal hernia repair. ⋯ In general, this meta-analysis revealed that both approaches have similar postoperative opioid consumption and no significant difference in postoperative complication and patient satisfaction. The II/IH block provides excellent analgesic effects at 6 and 8 hours after inguinal herniorrhaphy in compared with the TAP block. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are still required to make the conclusion.
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Central neuropathic pain related to spinal cord injury is notoriously difficult to treat. So far most pharmacological and surgical options have shown but poor results. Recently ziconotide has been approved for use both neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain. In this cohort study, we assessed responder rate and long-term efficacy of intrathecal ziconotide in patients with pain related to spinal cord injury. ⋯ Intrathecal Ziconotide is a posible alternative for the treatment of pain in patients with spinal cord injury and below level neuropathic pain.
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J. Peripher. Nerv. Syst. · Oct 2019
ReviewOverview and critical revision of clinical assessment tools in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity.
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a major toxicity of cancer treatment, leading to dose reduction and premature treatment cessation, potentially affecting patient function, and quality of life. The development of accurate and sensitive assessment tools for CIPN is essential to enable clinical monitoring during treatment, follow-up of long-term outcomes and measurement of toxicity in clinical trials. This review examines CIPN clinical assessment scales incorporating clinician-based, composite, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), providing a systematic review of their properties and an updated critical analysis of recommendations on current evidence for their use. ⋯ The majority of these tools were PROs, underscoring the importance of patient-based assessment of symptoms. While there has been considerable work in the field over the past 10 years, this review highlights significant gaps, including a lack of evaluation of responsiveness and problematic neuropathic pain evaluation. There remains a need for consensus on the best available tool and the need to modify existing instruments to improve utility.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Oct 2019
ReviewNeuropathic Pain in Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Evidence for Exercise in Treatment.
One in 2 Canadians is expected to acquire cancer in their lifetime. Many cancers, including breast, ovarian, and lung cancer, are treated using taxane chemotherapy with curative intent. ⋯ The pathophysiology of TIPN is still unknown but likely involves multiple mechanisms, including microtubule impairment, neuroimmune and inflammatory changes, ion channel remodeling, impaired mitochondrial function, and genetic predisposition. This review highlights current theories on the pathophysiology for TIPN, the cellular responses thought to maintain neuropathic pain, and the growing support for exercise in the treatment and prevention of peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain in both animal and human models.