Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Correlation of (99m) Tc-DPD SPECT/CT Scan Findings and Diagnostic Blockades of Lumbar Medial Branches in Patients with Unspecific Low Back Pain in a Randomized-Controlled Trial.
Zygapophyseal joints are the origin of pain in up to 30% of those with unspecific chronic low back pain. Until recently, no reliable clinical tests have been found to identify the patients who would benefit from denervation of the zygapophyseal joints by medial branch blockades. ⋯ Compared with diagnostic infiltrations SPECT/CT scans showed only a moderate sensitivity and specificity and, therefore, may not be recommended as a first line diagnostic tool prior to diagnostic infiltrations.
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To assess the current state of ultrasound training in U.S. and Canadian Chronic Pain Fellowship programs. ⋯ Chronic pain fellowships were teaching ultrasound-guided procedures to their fellows. The majority of the fellowships offered ultrasound training throughout the fellowship year. A majority of training was accomplished via hands-on experience with patients. Chronic pain fellows were receiving a majority of ultrasound training for peripheral nerve blocks, followed by nonaxial musculoskeletal blocks, with few axial nerve blocks being taught.
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According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, acupoints are specifically chosen sites of acupuncture manipulation, and also the basis for studying the mechanism of acupuncture. Stimulating different acupoints on the body surface could provide various therapeutic benefits. However, what is the acupoint? This question is not clear. ⋯ This review might explain, to some extent, what an acupoint is. Further research into the identity of acupoints is warranted, and multidisciplinary methods using novel technologies may yield significant advances over existing knowledge.