The Clinical journal of pain
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The choice of an appropriate control group has been recognized as one of the most difficult problems in the methodology of case/control studies, both in theory and in practice. In the study of chronic pain, a "well control group" has frequently been employed. ⋯ Second, controls should be selected independently of exposure to the putative risk factors under investigation. To illustrate the nature of this problem we present two numerical examples, using a chronic pain disorder.
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Comment Letter Case Reports
In response to article by Drs. Petriccione di Vadi and Hamann.
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Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are likely the most common cause of persistent pain in the head and neck. Treatment for TMDs can be quite varied although, in general, favorable treatment outcome is reported to be on the order of 75-80%, regardless of treatment approach. However, it has been reported that patients suffering from posttraumatic TMDs, and, in particular, patients who have been involved in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), do not respond as well to therapy. ⋯ In view of the above, it appears that posttraumatic TMD patients do not respond to therapy as well as the control subjects. While the mechanisms underlying this finding are not clear, it could be related to a difference in underlying pathophysiology. The data showing that posttraumatic TMD patients develop significantly more symptoms suggestive of affective disorders than control TMD patients could imply that there is a relationship between these findings that requires further study.
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Trigeminal neuralgia may be treated in several ways. In the present study, the efficacy of a selective percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) neurolysis in the gasserian ganglion was evaluated in 240 patients. The recurrence rate after a single treatment was 28.3% within 2 years. ⋯ Thus, the overall success rate at the end of the follow-up period was 91.7%. The mean follow-up period was 50 months (range 12-96 months). Except for corneal anesthesia in 3.7% of the patients, no serious complications occurred.