Neurology News & Articles

1 Duration of remission phase of 36 Korean patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, May 1, 2013
Kang MS et al. - Glossopharyngeal neuralgia has the characteristic of a long remission phase between the pain attack phases. Although the concept of remission is very important for the treatment of patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia, due to the rarity of the disease, clear statistical studies on the remission phase for glossopharyngeal neuralgia are almost non-existent. The difference in the mean duration of the remission phase of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are not statistically ...

2 Microvascular Decompression for Classic Trigeminal Neuralgia: Determination of Minimum Clinically Important Difference in Pain Improvement for Patient Reported Outcomes Neurosurgery, April 24, 2013
Reddy VK et al. - Outcomes studies use patient-reported outcome (PRO) measurements to assess treatment effectiveness, but can lack direct clinical meaning. Minimum clinically important difference (MCID) calculation provides a point estimate of the critical threshold needed to achieve clinically relevant treatment effectiveness. MCID remains uninvestigated for microvascular decompression (MVD), a common surgical procedure for trigeminal neuralgia. MVD-specific MCID is highly ...

3 What is the best treatment of drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia in patients affected by multiple sclerosis- A literature analysis of surgical procedures Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, April 29, 2013
Montano N et al. - The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of different surgical procedures utilized for drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study shows no differences in the short term results among different procedures for TN in MS patients. Each technique demonstrate advantages and limits in terms of long term pain, recurrence rate and complication rate. Each patient should be accurately informed on pros and cons ...

4 CYP2D6*2 Polymorphism as a Predictor of Failed Outpatient Tramadol Therapy in Postherpetic Neuralgia Patients American Journal of Therapeutics, April 12, 2013
Nasare NV et al. - The aim of the study was to find the association of CYP2D6*2 polymorphisms with demographic characters (age, sex, and weight), pain intensity scales [numerical rating scale (NRS) sleep, global perceived effect (GPE)], and adverse drug effects in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients receiving tramadol. The overall results suggested that CYP2D6*2 polymorphism plays no role in the PHN patients receiving tramadol treatment. The CYP2D6*2 polymorphism may not be a predictor ...

5 The role of the cerebellopontine angle cistern area and trigeminal nerve length in the pathogenesis of trigeminal neuralgia: a prospective case-control study Acta Neurochirurgica, May 3, 2013
Parise M et al. - The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate whether the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) cistern area and trigeminal nerve cisternal length play a role in the pathogenesis of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Smaller CPA cisterns and short cisternal trigeminal nerves impact the pathogenesis of essential TN by facilitating the neurovascular conflict, especially in younger patients. Trigeminal nerve cisternal measurement provides an easy and direct estimation of the CPA area. ...

6 A novel approach to identify responder subgroups and predictors of response to low- and high-dose capsaicin patches in postherpetic neuralgia European Journal of Pain, May 8, 2013
Martini CH et al. - Treatment of chronic pain conditions is commonly assessed at specific endpoints at preset times during or after treatment by analysis of the total study population. An alternative approach is the identification of specific patient subgroups characterized by differential response patterns in their analgesic response and to determine the presence of significant predictors of effect. The analyses indicate the existence of different response groups to treatment with ...

7 Are treatment benefits in neuropathic pain reflected in the self assessment of treatment questionnaire Health and Quality of Life Outcomes , February 5, 2013
Wiklund I et al. - This study aimed to understand how patients perceived the relevance and ease of understanding of the questions in the SAT and to recommend modifications based on patient and clinician interviews. The content validity of the revised SAT was improved by the qualitative research, and NP treatment benefits are reflected in a more consistent fashion by the changes. Baseline and follow-up versions make it possible to perform assessments of change over time. Methods ...

8 Can treatment success with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster be predicted in cancer pain with neuropathic components or trigeminal neuropathic pain Journal of Pain Research, April 9, 2013
Kern KU et al. - The findings provide a first assessment of the likelihood of treatment benefits with 5% lidocaine-medicated plaster in the management of cancer pain with neuropathic components and trigeminal neuropathic pain and support conducting large, well-designed multicenter studies. Methods An expert group of 40 pain specialists from 16 countries performed a first assessment of the value of predictors for treatment success with 5% lidocaine-medicated ...

9 Short-term outcome of single-incision laparoscopic totally extra-peritoneal inguinal hernia repair Asian Journal of Endoscopic Surgery, May 2, 2013
Wakasugi M et al. - The authors performed single-incision laparoscopic surgery for totally extra-peritoneal (SILS-TEP) repair using a lightweight mesh fixed by absorbable tacks and without balloon dilation. SILS-TEP is an economical and useful method for decreasing postoperative complications, such as neuralgia and recurrence, and it could be an attractive approach for inguinal hernia.