The Clinical journal of pain
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Age and sex differences may exist in the frequency (incidence, prevalence) or symptoms of neuropathic pain (NP) and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) due to biopsychosocial factors (e.g., neurodevelopment, physiological and hormonal changes, psychosocial differences) that evolve through childhood and adolescence.2 Age and sex differences may have implications for evaluating screening and diagnostic tools and treatment interventions. ⋯ Large epidemiological studies are required to further understand age and sex differences in frequency of pediatric NP and CRPS. Age and sex differences must be considered when evaluating screening and diagnostic tools and treatment interventions to ensure relevance and validity to both sexes and across ages. Validated tools will improve understanding of age- and sex-dependent differences in symptoms, pathophysiology, and psychosocial impact of pediatric NP and CRPS.
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Intensive interdisciplinary pain treatments (IIPTs) are programs that aim to improve functioning in youth with severe chronic pain. Little is known about how the brain changes following IIPT, however, decreased brain responses to emotional stimuli have been identified previously in pediatric chronic pain relative to healthy controls. We examined whether IIPT increased brain responses to emotional stimuli, and whether this change was associated with a reduction in pain interference. ⋯ Contrary to our hypothesis, IIPT was associated with a reduction in MFG activation to emotional stimuli, and this change was associated with reduced pain interference. The MFG is a highly interconnected brain area involved in both pain chronification and antinociception. With further validation of these results, the MFG may represent an important biomarker for evaluating patient treatment response and target for future pain interventions.
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The aim of our meta-analysis was to systematically assess the enduring effectiveness and safety of high-frequency spinal stimulation (HF-SCS) in the management of chronic pain. ⋯ The findings from our comprehensive review and meta-analysis, encompassing research from 2004 to 2023, offer encouraging data about the prolonged efficacy and safety of HF-SCS in chronic pain management. Nonetheless, recognizing the constraints of the existing evidence is crucial. Upcoming clinical trials, meticulously planned and stringent, are essential to bolster the current body of evidence and reach more conclusive findings.
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The quality of postoperative analgesia in total knee arthroplasty is crucial for patient recovery, rehabilitation and hospital stay duration. In line with the above, а single-shot adductor canal block has been considered as surpassing method over continuous femoral nerve block. However, continuous adductor canal block and single-shot femoral nerve block 'kept overboard' the discussion. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of various types of adductor and femoral nerve blocks on clinically relevant outcomes in patients following total knee arthroplasty. ⋯ The shift from continuous femoral nerve block to single-shot adductor canal block as the preferred method for pain relief after total knee arthroplasty may be premature. While the latter improves mobility, it falls short in pain control and doesn't shorten hospital stays. Continuous adductor canal block shows promise but is currently underappreciated, and single-shot femoral nerve block is often overshadowed by other techniques in regional anesthesia. Further high-quality, multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to validate these findings.
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Neuronavigation improves intraoperative visualization of the cranial structures, which is valuable in percutaneous surgical treatments for patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) who are refractory to pharmacotherapy or reluctant to receive open surgery. The objective of this review was to evaluate the available neuronavigation-guided percutaneous surgical treatment modalities with cannulation of foramen ovale to TN, and their relative benefits and limitations. ⋯ Neuronavigation-guided percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomies showed possible superior pain relief outcomes to that of conventional rhizotomies in TN, with the benefits of radiation reduction and lower complication development rates. The limitations of neuronavigation remain its high cost and limited availability. Higher-quality prospective studies and randomized clinical trials of neuronavigation-guided percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy were lacking.