Current pain and headache reports
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This work aimed to review the epidemiology, clinical criteria, and primary and secondary diagnoses of pediatric thunderclap headache and to compare to adult thunderclap headache. ⋯ Thunderclap headache among children aged 6-18 years are rare; this headache presented in 0.08% of the patients admitted to a pediatric emergency department in a tertiary pediatric center. In that recent single-center study, thunderclap was a headache of grade 10 on the pain scale and conferred a benign course. Contrary to adults, in children, most thunderclap headaches are due to either a primary thunderclap headache or another type of primary headache. A number of case reports have attributed pediatric thunderclap to reversible vasoconstriction syndrome and bleeding due to intracranial aneurysm. However, 3-year data from a pediatric emergency department of one center did not find these reasons to be causes of secondary thunderclap headache. This may be due to the rarity of these diagnoses in children compared to adults. Four of the 19 patients with thunderclap headache reported in that single study had secondary thunderclap; the causes were infection in three and malignant hypertension in one. All the patients had a benign course. Although urgent imaging and lumbar puncture are required in the workup of pediatric thunderclap, severe causes are very rare. More research is needed to investigate pediatric thunderclap headache.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Mar 2022
Review Case ReportsTrigeminal Traumatic Neuroma: a Comprehensive Review of the Literature Based On a Rare Case.
Traumatic neuromas in general, and trigeminal traumatic neuromas in particular, are relatively rare entities originating from a damage to a corresponding nerve or its branches. This manuscript is a comprehensive review of the literature on trigeminal traumatic neuromas based on an interesting and challenging case of bilateral intraoral lesions. ⋯ The diagnosis for this patient was bilateral trigeminal traumatic neuromas. It is possible that these patients have a genetic predisposition to the development of these lesions. It is a neuropathic pain condition and may mimic dental and other trigeminal pain entities. Topical treatment with lidocaine gel, utilizing a custom-made neurosensory stent, rendered the patient significant and sustained pain relief. Trigeminal traumatic neuromas present a diagnostic challenge even to a seasoned clinician, due to the complex clinical features that may mimic other entities. Topical medications such as local anesthetics may be a good viable alternative to systemic medications to manage the pain associated with the condition. Early identification of the lesion and the associated pain helps in the succinct management of symptomatic trigeminal traumatic neuromas.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Mar 2022
ReviewTramadol Use in Perioperative Care and Current Controversies.
The aim of this review is to discuss the use of tramadol in the perioperative period. There is no doubt that tramadol has revolutionized pain treatment, making it important to understand the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in order to provide patients with the safest and most effective analgesia. ⋯ Tramadol is a centrally acting synthetic analgesic with a multimode of action used to help treat moderate to severe pain. Pharmacologically, the unique opioid acts as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, while its metabolite, O-desmethyltramadol, acts on the μ-opioid receptor. The analgesic strength of tramadol is about one-tenth that of morphine, making it a relatively safe analgesic. Potential side effects of tramadol include nausea, vomiting, constipation, pruritus, and respiratory depression; however, the severity of these symptoms is minimal compared to traditional opioids. Although some of the perioperative uses of tramadol may be rare, it is a pain management option to consider when alternatives have proved ineffective.
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We reviewed the literature that explored the use of central and peripheral neuromodulation techniques for chronic daily headache (CDH) treatment. ⋯ Although the more invasive deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective in chronic cluster headache (CCH), it should be reserved for extremely difficult-to-treat patients. Percutaneous occipital nerve stimulation has shown similar efficacy to DBS and is less risky in both CCH and chronic migraine (CM). Non-invasive transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation is a promising add-on treatment for CCH but not for CM. Transcutaneous external trigeminal nerve stimulation may be effective in treating CM; however, it has not yet been tested for cluster headache. Transcranial magnetic and electric stimulations have promising preventive effects against CM and CCH. Although the precise mode of action of non-invasive neuromodulation techniques remains largely unknown and there is a paucity of controlled trials, they should be preferred to more invasive techniques for treating CDH.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Mar 2022
ReviewA Review of Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Decompression for Radiculopathy.
With this manuscript the authors sought to write a succinct review of the origins, as well as the latest advancements in endoscopic spine surgery to serve as a reference frame for physicians looking to learn this approach. ⋯ At its infancy, the indications for posterolateral and transforaminal endoscopic decompression remained narrow, which prevented the procedure from gaining rapid traction during those days. However, more recently the tides have turned and an increasing number of surgeons are starting to adopt this technique given all its advantages. With the advent of higher quality camera systems and instruments, indications to use a minimally invasive option have gotten significantly broader. The most basic indication for the use of this technology is a soft disc herniation causing compromise of a neural structure that has failed to be managed successfully with non-surgical therapies. The use of endoscopic techniques provides significant advantages to patient outcomes and patient recovery. Endoscopic procedures should not be used as a blanket approach to nerve root decompression, as they certainly have limitations. Most contraindications to this procedure are relative and serve mostly as points to consider when selecting the methods to address neural compression. As these techniques become more widely accepted, we expect its reach and indications to continue to broaden and diversify. The full integration of navigation technologies will likely leapfrog this procedure into the mainstream use.