The Clinical journal of pain
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Functional reorganization in the somatosensory network after peripheral nerve lesions has been suspected to modify the clinical expression of symptoms. However, no conclusive evidence exists to support this notion. We addressed this question by investigating the topographic distribution of the subjective sensory report in various chronic human mononeuropathies. ⋯ In human neuropathies, the projected sensory symptoms are restricted to the innervation territories of the affected nerves, with no extraterritorial spread. Thus, the somatosensory localization function remains accurate, despite the central reorganization that presumably occurs after nerve injury. We conclude that reorganization of the sensory connections within the central nervous system after peripheral nerve injury in humans is a clinically silent adaptive phenomenon.
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Previous research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at a higher risk for painful experiences, but there is limited research examining pain in children with ASD. ⋯ This is the first study to successfully obtain self-report of pain from youth with ASD. Implications for the understanding of pain and pain assessment in high-functioning youth with ASD are discussed.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of a novel direct measure of rapid pain intensity change to traditional serial 100 mm VAS measurement of pain intensity.
Key diagnostic decisions often turn on measurement of change in pain intensity after diagnostic anesthetic blocks. This study aimed to introduce a new direct measure pain intensity change and compare it with percent change as calculated from the traditional preprocedure and postprocedure pain visual analog scales. ⋯ The 2 methods are not interchangeable. The new method measures the pain intensity change dimension directly, whereas the traditional method estimates change indirectly by calculation. Face validity is better served by adopting the new method for decisions regarding whether a patient is a "responder" or "nonresponder" to diagnostic blocks. The traditional method should be retained for estimation of pain intensity preprocedure and the duration of pain relief postprocedure.
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The objective of the study was to assess diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) function in women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) compared with healthy controls through the use of 2 different methodologies. Furthermore, the study aimed to assess whether pain characteristics correlate with DNIC in women with PVD. ⋯ Results support previous findings of intact DNIC function in women with PVD, using both an ascending method of limits and a temporal summation paradigm. Pain-related variables were not correlated with DNIC function in women with PVD, perhaps this unexpected finding is due to the possibility that central processes other than DNIC, such as descending facilitation, provoke or maintain this chronic pain condition.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Perioperative intravenous lidocaine decreases the incidence of persistent pain after breast surgery.
Perioperative lidocaine (1.5 mg/kg bolus then 1.5 mg/kg/h until 1 h after skin closure) reduces the incidence of persistent post-surgical pain after breast cancer surgery at 3 months.
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