1/166. Treatment of postherpetic neuralgia.OBJECTIVE: To review treatment options for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). DATA SOURCES: Clinical literature selected by the authors accessed via medline. Search terms included postherpetic neuralgia, capsaicin, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and lidocaine. STUDY SELECTION: Controlled trials relevant to PHN. DATA SYNTHESIS: Traditional analgesics offer little benefit for the treatment of PHN. The best results for pain relief have come from capsaicin and tricyclic antidepressants. anticonvulsants have also been used, although the number of studies evaluating this is limited. More invasive therapies, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and nerve blocks, can be considered if other therapies fail. CONCLUSION: early diagnosis and treatment of herpes zoster may offer patients the best chance of preventing the development of PHN. However, if PHN does develop, the patient should seek treatment early for the best chance of pain relief.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/166. Cardiac syncope secondary to glossopharyngeal neuralgia--effectively treated with carbamazepine.A 64-year-old male with glossopharyngeal neuralgia, cardiac asystole and grand mal seizures has been relieved of his attacks by intake of 400 mg of carbamazepine per day over a 4-year period. Simultaneous EEG-EKG recordings before and after drinking water document the diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/166. Acute herpetic neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia in the head and neck: response to gabapentin in five cases.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The clinical presentations and pharmacologic management of three patients with acute herpetic neuralgia (AHN) and two patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), confined to the head and neck region, are described. methods: Two patients had pain in the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve, two had pain confined to the C2-C4 dermatomes, and one patient had C2 pain with radiating and referred pain to the second and third divisions of the trigeminal nerve. RESULTS: Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant drug, was effective in treating these patients, including the two cases of AHN. All patients reported complete pain relief after titration with gabapentin up to 1,800 mg/d. The patients noted a dose-dependent decrease in pain almost immediately after starting gabapentin. Specifically, reduction in the frequency and intensity of allodynia, burning pain, shooting pain, and throbbing pain were noted. None of the patients experienced side effects from the drug. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the results in these patients, blinded, controlled studies are needed to determine the efficacy of gabapentin for treating AHN and PHN.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.6666666666667keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/166. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia referred from a pontine lesion.Paroxysmal pain in the form of glossopharyngeal neuralgia is less frequent and less well understood than that of trigeminal neuralgia. Diagnostic confusion can arise especially when both conditions occur in the one patient. We report a patient with a 20-year history of left-sided glossopharyngeal neuralgia with trigger zones in both the trigeminal and glossopharyngeal dermatomal distributions. magnetic resonance imaging revealed a single T2-weighted hyperintense signal in the left pons with no other abnormality. It is postulated that ephaptic transmission between central pain fibers and the trigeminal or glossopharyngeal fibers, which both enter the spinal trigeminal tract, resulted, respectively, in conventional and "referred" glossopharyngeal neuralgia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.3333333333333keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/166. ophthalmoplegic migraine and periodic migrainous neuralgia, migraine variants with ocular manifestations.The spectrum of migraine has been outlined with particular attention to two entities: ophthalmoplegic migraine and Periodic Migrainous Neuralgia. Although quite different in many respects from classical migraine, the relationship of a periodic localized vascular phenomenon giving rise to headache and transient neurologic signs, classify PMN and OPGM as migraine variants. Supportive of this concept, the literature has been reviewed in both entities, and some observations are made on the validity of earlier reports. It is the author's opinion that Raeder's syndrome should be reserved for patients with a lesion localizing in the paratrigeminal area. This does not exclude migraine as an etiologic agent but also recognizes tumors, infections and fractures as being more common.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66666666666667keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/166. Patient-controlled epidural analgesia for postherpetic neuralgia in an hiv-infected patient as a therapeutic ambulatory modality.A 43-year-old hiv-positive male was referred to our pain clinic one month after his fourth attack of herpes zoster infection. He complained of intermittent intolerable sharp and lancinating pain accompanied by numbness over the inner aspect of the left upper extremity, left anterior chest wall and the back. physical examination revealed allodynia over the left T1 and T2 dermatomes without any obvious skin lesion. The pain was treated with epidural block made possible by a retention epidural catheter placed via the T2-3 interspace. After the administration of 8 ml of 1% lidocaine in divided doses, the pain was completely relieved for 4 h without significant change of blood pressure or heart rate. A pump (Baxter API) for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) filled with 0.08% bupivacaine was connected to the epidural catheter on the next day and programmed at a basal rate of 2 ml/h, PCA dose 2 ml, lockout interval 15 min, with an one-hour dose limit of 8 ml. He was instructed to report his condition by telephone every weekday. The pump was refilled with drug and the wound of catheter entry was checked and managed every 3 or 4 days. The epidural catheter was replaced every week. During treatment, the pain intensity was controlled in the range from 10 to 0-2 on the visual analogue scale. He was very satisfied with the treatment and reported only slight hypoesthesia over the left upper extremity in the early treatment period. Epidural PCA was discontinued after 28 days. He did not complain of pain thereafter but reported a slight numb sensation still over the lesion site for a period of time. In conclusion, postherpetic neuralgia in an hiv-infected man was successfully treated with ambulatory therapeutic modality of epidural PCA for 28 days.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/166. Coincidental supraorbital neuralgia and sinusitis.headache interpreted as treatment failure may be encountered after FESS or pharmacological treatment for chronic sinusitis. This persistent symptom may lead, even in the presence of minimal sinus disease, to frequent office visits, medical treatment, primary surgery, and revision procedures. A prospective study of patients with a documented history and imaging-verified sinus disease with persistent atypical refractory headache were evaluated. Diagnostic measures included injection of local anesthetic and response to carbamazepine. Severe neuralgia of the supraorbital nerve was identified in 11 patients with chronic sinusitis, treated either medically or surgically before inclusion in the study. Eight of the patients underwent surgery for sinus disease, and five of them had revision surgery because of persisting complaints. All patients responded favorably to the local injection, and eight were treated with carbamazepine. In certain cases, headache in sinusitis patients may be caused or aggravated by supraorbital neuralgia. Sinus disease is possibly a causative factor but conceivably plays the role of a "red herring." This readily diagnosed and treated coexistence may be more prevalent than recognized formerly.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/166. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia and MS.Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is characterized by a severe lancing pain in the posterior pharynx, tonsillar fossa, and base of the tongue. It is induced frequently by swallowing and yawning. GPN has not been described previously in MS patients. The authors report four MS patients with GPN. Three responded to carbamazepine and one resolved during treatment with adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) and cyclophosphamide. Withdrawal of carbamazepine after 1 week in one patient resulted in recurrence of pain. GPN may be associated with MS and responds to carbamazepine.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/166. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia following foreign body impaction in the neck.Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is rare, typically idiopathic and treated with carbamazepine. Surgery to decompress or transect the glossopharyngeal nerve root may be performed if conservative management fails. We present a case following trauma to the neck with foreign body impaction. To our knowledge this is the first case of glossopharyngeal neuralgia due to neck trauma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/166. herpes zoster in the elderly: issues related to geriatrics.This article reviews specific clinical and research issues of herpes zoster related to geriatric medicine. Salient epidemiological and clinical issues include the increasing probability of zoster and postherpetic neuralgia with aging, age-related decline in immunity to varicella-zoster virus, the functional and psychosocial impact of zoster on the quality of life of the elderly, illness behavior in elderly patients with zoster, and varicella-zoster virus transmission and control in the nursing home. The role of antiviral therapy, corticosteroids, and analgesics; the measurement and analysis of pain, health-related quality of life, and functional status; and development of the varicella vaccine in the management of zoster in the elderly are also emphasized. Fertile research opportunities exist within these areas for investigators interested in infectious diseases, geriatrics, and other zoster-related disciplines.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = neuralgia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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