Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Identification of subjects with different sensitization mechanisms can help to identify better therapeutic strategies for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The aim of the current study was to identify subgroups of women with CTS with different levels of sensitization. ⋯ This study showed that a clinical prediction rule originally developed for identifying women with CTS who are likely to respond favorably to manual physical therapy was able to identify women exhibiting higher widespread pressure hyper-sensitivity and thermal hyperalgesia. This subgroup of women with CTS exhibiting higher sensitization may need specific therapeutic programs.
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Auriculotemporal neuralgia (ATN) is an infrequent syndrome consisting in strictly unilateral pain in the temporal region associated with nerve tenderness, which can be successfully treated with anesthetic blockade. We analysed clinical characteristics and treatment response in a series of eight patients. ⋯ ATN is uncommon in headache units. Gabapentin is a good alternative therapeutic option to anesthetic blockade.
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The authors describe a technique that includes a stereotactic approach in the preoperative plan in cases where the foramen ovale is difficult to access for radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the Gasserian ganglion. ⋯ The authors conclude that this stereotactic approach combined with three-dimensional computed tomographic reconstruction model can improve the accuracy, safety, and efficiency of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in patients with trigeminal neuralgia for whom the foramen ovale is difficult to access.