Neurology
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To develop and test a new immersive digital technology for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) that combines principles from mirror therapy and immersive virtual reality and the latest research from multisensory body processing. ⋯ This study provides Class III evidence that HEVR reduces pain and increases force strength in patients with CRPS.
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Neuropalliative care is an emerging subspecialty in neurology and palliative care. On April 26, 2017, we convened a Neuropalliative Care Summit with national and international experts in the field to develop a clinical, educational, and research agenda to move the field forward. Clinical priorities included the need to develop and implement effective models to integrate palliative care into neurology and to develop and implement informative quality measures to evaluate and compare palliative approaches. ⋯ Highest priority areas include focusing on outcomes important to patients and families, developing serious conversation triggers, and developing novel approaches to patient and family engagement, including improvements to decision quality. As we continue to make remarkable advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurologic illness, neurologists will face an increasing need to guide and support patients and families through complex choices involving immense uncertainty and intensely important outcomes of mind and body. This article outlines opportunities to improve the quality of care for all patients with neurologic illness and their families through a broad range of clinical, educational, and investigative efforts that include complex symptom management, communication skills, and models of care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation as acute therapy for migraine: The randomized PRESTO study.
To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS; gammaCore; electroCore, LLC, Basking Ridge, NJ) for the acute treatment of migraine in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. ⋯ This study provides Class I evidence that for patients with an episodic migraine, nVNS significantly increases the probability of having mild pain or being pain-free 2 hours poststimulation (absolute difference 13.2%).
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Neurologic outcomes in pediatric cardiac arrest survivors enrolled in the THAPCA trials.
To implement a standardized approach to characterize neurologic outcomes among 12-month survivors in the Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest (THAPCA) trials. ⋯ The PRCA provides a robust method for depicting neurologic outcomes after acute encephalopathy caused by CA in children. It provides a global semiquantitative rating of neurologic impairment and domain-specific impairment. The strong correlation with well-established neurobehavioral outcome measures supports its validity over a broad age range and wide spectrum of outcomes.
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To clearly define transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathies (TTR-FAPs) fulfilling definite clinical and electrophysiologic European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). ⋯ Misleading features of TTR-FAP fulfilling criteria for CIDP are not uncommon in sporadic late-onset TTR-FAP, which highlights the limits of European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society criteria. Specific clinical aspects and marked electrophysiologic axonal loss are red flag symptoms that should alert to this diagnosis and prompt TTR gene sequencing.