Pain physician
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Enzyme immunoassays (EIA) have notable limitations for monitoring therapeutic compliance in pain management. Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry provides definitive results and superior sensitivity and specificity over traditional EIA testing. ⋯ Mass spectrometry is a more robust and reliable method for detection of drugs used in the pain management setting. Due to the extent of undisclosed use and abuse of medications and illicit drugs, LC-MS/MS testing is necessary for adequate and accurate drug detection. In addition, LC-MS/MS methods are superior in terms of sensitivity and number of compounds that can be screened, making this a better method for use in pain management. Key words: Pain management, enzyme immunoassays, mass spectrometry, urine drug testing, prescription status, compliance.
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Suprascapular nerve block is performed in the management of chronic shoulder pain and frozen shoulder. ⋯ This is the first study investigating the effect of ultrasound-guided suprascapular block on shoulder limitation in breast cancer survivors. The results demonstrate that it may be a promising treatment approach for rapid recovery of shoulder motion in women with breast cancer before radiation treatment.Key words: Breast cancer, upper extremity, shoulder pain, range of motion, disability, ultrasound, injection, triamcinolone, local anesthetics.
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Osteoporosis is an important problem in those of advanced age. Osteoporosis can induce sacral insufficiency fractures (SIFs). As average life expectancy increases, the number of patients with osteoporotic SIFs also increases. Osteoporotic SIFs cause severe low back pain and immobilization. Treatment of SIFs varies from analgesia to surgery. ⋯ Percutaneous sacroplasty is an effective minimally invasive treatment for osteoporotic SIFs refractory to conservative management. The study patients experienced significant relief of pain and increased mobility.Key words: Sacrum, sacroplasty, insufficiency fractures, osteoporosis, minimally invasive surgery.
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Herpes zoster (HZ) is a painful, blistering skin eruption in a dermatomal distribution caused by reactivation of a latent varicella zoster virus in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of acute herpes zoster (AHZ). Severe prodrome, greater acute pain and dermatomal injury, and the density of the eruption are the risk factors and predictors for developing PHN. ⋯ The idea of this newly suggested approach is to increase the awareness of the health care team and the community about the nature of HZ and its complications, especially in the high-risk groups. Besides, it emphasizes the importance of the prompt antiviral therapy and the early sympathetic blockades for preventing PHN. Key words: Acute herpes zoster, prevention, post-herpetic neuralgia, sympathetic blockade, ten-step model.
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Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients suffer debilitating chronic pain, hyperalgesia, and allodynia, as well as emotional disorders such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression. The brain structure and functional basis of PHN are still not fully understood. ⋯ For PHN patients, the local brain activity abnormality was not restricted to the pain matrix. Besides regions related to pain perception, areas in charge of affective processes, emotional activity, and pain modulation also showed abnormal local brain activity in a resting state, which may suggest complicated supraspinal function and plasticity change in PHN patients. ReHo was more closely correlated with pain intensity of PHN patients than fALFF. This work indicates that besides physical and emotional pain perception, mood disorder and pain modulation could be characteristic of PHN patients. This also supports the potential use of therapeutic interventions not only restricted to pain alleviation, but that also attempt to ameliorate the cognitive and emotional comorbidities. Key words: Postherpetic neuralgia, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), mood disorder, limbic system, fractional aptitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo).