Articles: neuralgia.
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Meta Analysis
Combination pharmacotherapy for the treatment of neuropathic pain in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Neuropathic pain causes substantial morbidity and healthcare utilization. Monotherapy with antidepressants or anticonvulsants often fails to provide relief. Combining different drugs sometimes provides improved analgesia and/or tolerability. ⋯ Despite widespread use and a growing number of trials, convincing evidence has not yet emerged to suggest superiority of any combination over its respective monotherapies. Therefore, implementing combination therapy-as second- or third-line treatment-in situations where monotherapy is insufficient, should involve closely monitored individual dosing trials to confirm safety and overall added benefit. Further research is needed, including trials of combinations involving nonsedating agents, and to identify clinical settings and specific combinations that safely provide added benefit.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2023
Review Meta AnalysisSacrifice or preserve the superior petrosal vein in microvascular decompression surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
In microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery through the retrosigmoid approach, the surgeon may have to sacrifice the superior petrosal vein (SPV). However, this is a controversial maneuver. To date, high-level evidence comparing the operative outcomes of patients who underwent MVD with and without SPV sacrifice is lacking. Therefore, this study sought to bridge this gap. ⋯ SPV sacrifice is as safe as SPV preservation. The authors recommend intentional SPV sacrifice when gentle retraction fails to enhance surgical field visualization and if the surgeon encounters SPV-related neurovascular conflict and/or anticipates impeding SPV-related bleeding.
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Although distortion or indentation of a trigeminal nerve due to neurovascular compression (NVC) is associated with classical trigeminal neuralgia, whether morphological change in the trigeminal nerve is relieved by eliminating NVC has not been studied. ⋯ Morphological changes in the trigeminal nerve due to NVC could be recovered by MVD, and increases in the trigeminal nerve CSA predicted favorable outcomes.
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J Coll Physicians Surg Pak · Feb 2023
Chronic Pain and Health Related Quality of Life Assessment One Year After Total Knee Arthroplasty.
To assess chronic pain prevalence, health related quality of life (HRQOL), and factors associated with HRQOL in patients at least one year after total knee arthrosplasty (TKA). ⋯ Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee, Pain, postoperative, Chronic pain, Neuralgia, Quality of Life.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Modulation of central pain mechanisms using high definition transcranial direct current stimulation: A double-blind, sham-controlled study.
The use of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has shown analgesic effects in some chronic pain patients, but limited anti-nociceptive effects in healthy asymptomatic subjects. ⋯ HD-tDCS reduced the facilitation of TSP caused by tonic pain suggesting that efficacy of HD-tDCS might depend on the presence of sensitized central pain mechanisms.