Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialRemifentanil versus alfentanil as analgesic adjuncts during placement of ophthalmologic nerve blocks.
Short-acting opioids are often used prior to the placement of ophthalmologic nerve blocks. This study examines whether remifentanil would provide superior analgesia compared with alfentanil, without oversedation or prolonged recovery when given either as a single dose over 30 seconds or as a single dose followed by a continuous infusion, in a dose ratio of 1:7 (remifentanil:alfentanil). ⋯ Remifentanil 1 microg/kg results in superior analgesia compared with alfentanil 7 microg/kg when used during the placement of ophthalmologic nerve blocks. The combination of a single dose of remifentanil followed by a continuous infusion was equally effective but resulted in a higher incidence of respiratory depression.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 1999
Comparative StudyThe endoneurial response to neurolytic agents is highly dependent on the mode of application.
The variability and predictability of neurolytic neural blocks were studied using an experimental rat sciatic nerve model. The goal of the study was to compare endoneurial and clinical responses to commonly used neurolytic agents. ⋯ There were no differences in the effects of clinically used neurolytic agents after intraneural injections. Although the perineurally applied 7% phenol-aqua induced marked endoneural damage, the destructive effect of glycerol and phenol-glycerol injections seemed to be prevented by the perineurium; phenol-glycerol and glycerol treatments induced subperineural damage only after perineural injections. The ability to penetrate the perineurium favors the use of 7% phenol-aqua in peripheral perineural blocks when complete neurolysis is the goal.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparative therapeutic evaluation of intrathecal versus epidural methylprednisolone for long-term analgesia in patients with intractable postherpetic neuralgia.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effects of intrathecal versus epidural methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) in patients with intractable postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). ⋯ Our results suggest the effectiveness of intrathecal as compared to epidural MPA for relieving the pain and allodynia associated with PHN. Also, our findings, together with the decrease in IL-8, may indicate that intrathecal MPA improves analgesia by decreasing an ongoing inflammatory reaction in the CSF.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 1999
Case ReportsIntrathecal infusion of bupivacaine with or without buprenorphine relieved intractable pain in three patients with vertebral compression fractures caused by osteoporosis.
At present, there is no reliable method of relieving "refractory" pain in patients with compression fractures of the vertebral bodies caused by osteoporosis. We explored the possibility of relieving this type of pain by intrathecal (i.t.) infusion of bupivacaine with or without buprenorphine. ⋯ Continuous intrathecal infusion of bupivacaine, with or without buprenorphine, appeared to be an effective method for the long-term treatment (months to > 1 year) of "refractory" pain from vertebral compression fractures, in this small group of patients.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 1999
Biography Historical ArticleLincoln Fleetwood Sise: regional anesthesia's forgotten man?