How is complex regional pain syndrome diagnosed? The diagnosis of CRPS is made clinically. The Budapest diagnostic criteria for CRPS require the following: • Continuous pain which is disproportionate to an inciting event • Symptoms in at least three of four domains (sensory, vasomotor, sudomotor/edema, and motor/trophic). Specific aspects of each domain are described in the criteria. …
Is complex regional pain syndrome a neuropathic pain state? Proposed mechanisms of CRPS include neurogenic inflammation, altered blood flow due to efferent sympathetic activity, cortical reorganization, and autoimmunity. Although the precise mechanism or group of mechanisms is unknown, CRPS shares some clinical and pathologic features with neuropathic pain states. In particular, people with CRPS demonstrate …
Is complex regional pain syndrome a neuropathic pain state Read More »
What is complex regional pain syndrome? CRPS is a clinical disorder characterized by spontaneous or stimulus-induced pain that is out of proportion to the provoking event and is accompanied by autonomic, sensory, and motor disturbances. There are two types: CRPS 1 and CRPS 2. By definition, CRPS 1 is not associated with previous nerve injury, …
What are the most common central pain syndromes? What are the evidence based treatments of central pain syndromes? The most common central pain syndromes are poststroke pain, spinal cord injury pain, and myelopathic pain due to MS. Central pain syndromes typically develop in a delayed fashion—that is, several months after the inciting clinical event. Poststroke …
Evidence based treatments of central pain syndromes Read More »
What are the causes of trigeminal neuralgia? In many cases, evidence of demyelination presumably due to chronic irritation from an adjacent vascular structure can be demonstrated in trigeminal neuralgia (TGN). TGN can also develop in multiple sclerosis. In this context the condition is a consequence of loss of central myelin affecting fascicles of the trigeminal …
What are the evidence based treatments of trigeminal neuralgia? Trigeminal neuralgia responds most consistently to treatment with carbamazepine, the only pharmacologic agent with a strong evidence base in this context. Oxcarbazepine has also been demonstrated to be beneficial in TGN. For patients with pain refractory to medical therapy, surgical therapies have been shown to be …
Evidence based treatments of trigeminal neuralgia Read More »
What is posttraumatic neuralgia, and how is it diagnosed? PTN is characterized by posttraumatic sensory loss, pain, and allodynia or hyperalgesia in the cutaneous distribution of a single peripheral nerve. PTN can develop after trauma or iatrogenic injury, and is a recognized complication of surgical procedures, including herniorraphy, mastectomy, and thoracotomy. Mechanisms likely include spontaneous …