• Sushmitha Dev, Yongjae Yoo, Ho-Jin Lee, Dong-Ho Kim, Yong-Chul Kim, and Jee Youn Moon.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Apollo Specialty Hospitals, OMR, Chennai, India.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Jan 1; 109: e783-e791.

BackgroundLumbar sympathetic neurolysis (LSN) is a treatment option for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We examined whether LSN-related temperature changes are associated with clinical outcome and investigated relationships between the outcome of LSN and clinical variables in patients with CRPS-I.MethodsWe included 95 patients with CRPS-I affecting a single lower extremity, by the Budapest criteria, and who underwent LSN after successful lumbar sympathetic blocks, in this retrospective study. Fluoroscopy-guided LSN was conducted with 1.5 mL of 99% alcohol at L2 and L3 vertebral levels. Positive outcome was defined as a reduction of ≥50% on a numeric rating scale pain score at 6 months after LSN. The relationship between successful outcome and clinical variables was analyzed.ResultsPositive LSN outcome occurred in 49.5% of patients, and it was suggested that Sympathetically maintained pain may accompany CRPS-I in 28% of patients. The overall temperature in the affected limb was increased after LSN, without contralateral limb temperature changes, but did not differ significantly between the positive and negative outcome groups (P = 0.590). Temperature after LSN in warm-type CRPS was reduced in the affected limb, without contralateral limb temperature changes. The absolute temperature change was significantly greater in cold-type than in warm-type CRPS (P = 0.026). In multivariate analysis, a short duration of pain and concurrent cold intolerance were significant factors predicting a positive outcome after LSN.ConclusionsLSN may be effective in some patients with CRPS, irrespective of temperature changes and temperature asymmetry pattern. A short duration of pain and concurrent cold intolerance significantly predict successful LSN.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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