Pain physician
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Lumbar facet joint syndrome is currently suggested to be a main source of axial low back pain, and a large portion of axial low back pain is caused by disorders in lumbar facet joints. Intra-articular injection is one of the most common treatment methods in the early clinical application. Therefore, we attempt to seek a new injectable material, autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP), to treat lumbar facet syndrome, as well as to assess its therapeutic effectiveness and safety. ⋯ In the short-term period of 3 months, the new technique of lumbar facet joint injection with autologous PRP is effective and safe for patients with lumbar facet joint syndrome. Key words: Low back pain, lumbar facet joint syndrome, autologous platelet rich plasma, intra-articular injection.
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Review Meta Analysis
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Chronic pain is one of the most frequent disease symptoms and represents a global health problem with a considerable economic burden. The role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in chronic pain conditions was debated during the last decade with conflicting results. ⋯ Our results suggest that Ω-3 PUFA supplementation moderately improves chronic pain, mainly that due to dysmenorrhea. Further investigation on the preventive potential of PUFA supplementation is needed, as the amount of evidence is scarce. Key words: Meta-analysis, systematic review, chronic pain, PUFA, supplementation, Ω-3, dysmenorrhea.
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Balloon-assisted kyphoplasty (BAK) is a well-accepted treatment for symptomatic vertebral compression fractures (VCF) secondary to osteoporosis. Some have raised a concern of an increased incidence of adjacent fractures due to alterations in spine biomechanics after cement augmentation. The incidence of subsequent VCFs following BAK is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the timing, location, and incidence of new VCFs following BAK and to identify risk factors associated specifically with the occurrence of new adjacent level fractures. ⋯ Symptomatic compression fractures after BAK are relatively uncommon and may occur long after the initial kyphoplasty procedure. Only half of subsequent fractures occur immediately adjacent to the initially treated level; the others occur remotely. Patients with a single symptomatic thoracic or lumbar fracture suffered from remote and adjacent level fractures equally. In contrast, all patients who suffered both a thoracic and lumbar fracture at the same time had a second fracture at an adjacent level. Specific risk factors for remote versus adjacent level fractures could not be determined. Key words: Balloon kyphoplasty, cement augmentation, osteoporosis, vertebral compression fracture, adjacent level fracture, vertebroplasty.
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Open lumbar microdiscectomy (OLM) has been considered the gold standard in the management of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) for its favorable outcomes in long-term follow-up. Nowadays, percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) is gaining recognition. However, greatest limitation of studies of PELD is the lack of long-term follow-up outcomes. ⋯ PELD has favorable long-term outcomes.Key words: Long-term, PELD, endoscopic lumbar discectomy, revision rate, disc height, instability.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in the Management of Acute Postoperative Pain Syndrome after Caesarean Section: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.
The international literature is unclear regarding the analgesic efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) after a Caesarean section (CS). ⋯ These results could confirm the assumption that the correct performance of an USG-TAPB as part of a multimodal analgesic treatment could represent a viable alternative to common analgesic procedures performed for acute postoperative pain control after a CS.Key words: Bowel function, Caesarian section, incident pain, local anesthetics, multimodal analgesic treatment, postoperative recovery, rest pain, ultrasound-guided TAP block.