Pain physician
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We present the case of a 74-year-old man with Stage IV metastatic, multifocal, malignant fibrous histiocytoma (T2b, N1, M1, G4) invading the proximal area of the left lower extremity and resulting in intractable neuropathic pain along the distribution of the femoral nerve. He described the pain as being so severe to cause inability to ambulate without assistance or to sleep in a supine or prone position. After a spinal cord stimulation trial and a trial of intrathecal (IT) hydromorphone, both performed at an outside institution, had failed to achieve adequate pain relief, we decided to perform a femoral nerve chemical neurolysis with phenol under ultrasound (US) guidance. ⋯ The patient reported complete pain relief with the procedure and no sensory-motor related side effects or complications. He was able to enjoy the last 6 weeks of life with his wife and family, pain-free. With this report we add to the limited literature available regarding the management of intractable cancer pain with chemical neurolysis in and around the epidural space.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Whitacre Needle Reduces the Incidence of Intravascular Uptake in Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections.
Transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is a commonly used interventional pain management procedures to treat radicular leg pain. Although most reported complications of TFESI are minor, serious morbidity has also been demonstrated including spinal cord infarction, paraplegia, and quadriparesis. Suggested mechanisms include direct vascular injury or intravascular injection of particulate steroid. ⋯ The Whitacre needle had the benefit of reducing the incidence of intravascular injection with minimal differences in technical difficulties and the amount of radiation exposure during lumbar TFESI.
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Case Reports Comparative Study
Comparison between Balloon Kyphoplasty and Short Segmental Fixation Combined with Vertebroplasty in the Treatment of Kümmell's Disease.
Kümmell's disease is a clinical syndrome characterized by a minor spinal trauma with a symptom-free period from months to years, followed by progressive painful kyphosis. Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty have been introduced to treat Kümmell's disease, and obtained good clinical results. Recently, delayed cement displacement was reported for Kümmell's disease treated by cement augmentation alone. Some authors recommended internal fixation combined with cement injection for this particular condition. ⋯ This study showed that both balloon kyphoplasty alone and short segmental fixation combined with vertebroplasty for Kümmell's disease were safe and effective. Improvement of VAS score had no correlation with improvement of vertebral height or local kyphotic angle. Comparatively, balloon kyphoplasty resulted in same the clinical outcomes with less complications.
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Cervical vertigo is characterized by vertigo from the cervical spine. However, whether cervical vertigo is an independent entity still remains controversial. In this narrative review, we outline the basic science and clinical evidence for cervical vertigo according to the current literature. ⋯ Manual therapy is recommended for treatment of proprioceptive cervical vertigo. Anterior cervical surgery and percutaneous laser disc decompression are effective for the cervical spondylosis patients accompanied with Barré-Liéou syndrome. As to rotational vertebral artery vertigo, a rare entity, when the exact area of the arterial compression is identified through appropriate tests such as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography angiography (CTA) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) decompressive surgery should be the chosen treatment.
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Comparative Study
Palpation Versus Ultrasound-Guided Acromioclavicular Joint Intra-articular Corticosteroid Injections: A Retrospective Comparative Clinical Study.
Primary osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of pain arising from the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. The true incidence is unknown because of differences in the criteria used to define arthritis in various studies. The proper diagnosis of AC joint OA requires a thorough physical examination, radiographic findings, and a diagnostic local anesthetic injection. ⋯ US-guided AC joint IA injection for the treatment of symptomatic AC joint OA resulted in better pain and functional status improvement than palpation-guided IA injection at the 6-month follow-up.