• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.216-229
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• 2023

Background: The role of the sympathetic nervous system appears to be central in causing pain in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The stellate ganglion block (SGB) using additives with local anesthetics is an established treatment modality. However, literature is sparse in support of selective benefits of different additives for SGB. Hence, the authors aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of clonidine with methylprednisolone as additives to ropivacaine in the SGB for treatment of CRPS. Methods: A prospective randomized single blinded study (the investigator blinded to the study groups) was conducted among patients with CRPS-I of the upper limb, aged 18-70 years with American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status I-III. Clonidine (15 ㎍) and methylprednisolone (40 mg) were compared as additives to 0.25% ropivacaine (5 mL) for SGB. After medical treatment for two weeks, patients in each of the two groups were given seven ultrasound guided SGBs on alternate days. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to visual analogue scale score, edema, or overall patient satisfaction. After 1.5 months follow-up, however, the group that received methylprednisolone had better improvement in range of motion. No significant side effects were seen with either drug. Conclusions: The use of additives, both methylprednisolone and clonidine, is safe and effective for the SGB in CRPS. The significantly better improvement in joint mobility with methylprednisolone suggests that it should be considered promising as an additive to local anaesthetics when joint mobility is the concern.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.198-202
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• 1989

우측 암면부, 특히 안구주위에 심한 통증을 호소하고 안검하수와 더불어 우측안구의 완전마비를 동반한 선천성 난장이 환자를 경험하였던 바 이는 신경방사선과학적소견, 검사실 검사소견, 전신적 corticosteroid치료에 대한 반응이 전형적인 Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome과는 다른 비전형적인 Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome이었기에 문헌적 고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.347-349
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• 1995

A 43 year old man who suffered from right facial palsy was treated successfully with the application of both magnetic resonance diagnostic analyser(MRA) and drug therapy. Treatment of facial palsy is generally composed of stellate ganglion block(SGB), drug therapy and operative intervention. Short periods of exposure to appropriate magnetic resonance can beneficially modulate the balance of autonomic nervous system that are responsible for sympathetic overflow. It was concluded that recovery of facial palsy by application of both MRA and drug therapy was effective in patient who refused SGB.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.223-227
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• 2006

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is clinically characterized by pain, abnormal regulation of blood flow and sweating, edema of skin and subcutaneous tissues, sensory and motor disturbances, and trophic changes of the skin. A 21-year-old man was suffering from pain and swelling in his right hand and forearm. His arm had been in splints for 3 weeks following an extension injury of the right fingers and wrist, with the pain having developed 2 weeks after the splinting. He was treated with various nerve blocks including continuous epidural infusion, thoracic sympathetic block and peripheral nerve blocks, and squeezing his edematous region under general anesthesia as well as intravenous lidocaine and ketamine infusions. However, all of the performed treatments had no effect on the patient's pain or hand swelling. As a next line therapy, spinal cord stimulation should be considered because of intractable severe pain and swelling to almost all other modalities of therapy. We therefore performed an early intervention of spinal cord stimulation for the patient with refractory CRPS type I 5 months after the onset of pain and have got an excellent result.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.177-190
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• 2003

Objective : This study was intended to investigate the analgesic effects of electroacupuncture(EA) on mechanical allodynia according to the frequency and intensity of EA. Also to know if mechanical allodynia and the analgesic effects of EA is related to the sympathetci nervous system and/or the purinergic system. Methods : mechanical allodynia-induced rats were produced by resecting S1-S2 nerve. The zusanli(ST36) was used for acupoint and the rats were divided into 4 groups. Each group was given different stimuli[low frequency low intensity-EA(LFLI-EA), low frequency high intensity-EA(LFHI-EA), high frequency low intensity-EA(LFHI-EA), high frequency high intensity-EA(HFHI-EA)]. Futhermore, to make sympathectomy6-OHDA and phentolamine were administered intraperitonially and the concentration of norepinephrine(NE) were measured. As a ATP blocker, suramin was applied for this study. Results : Comparing to control group, each of the 4 groups(LFLI-EA, LFHI-EA, HFLI-EA, HFHI-EA) showed a significant reduction of response frequency of mechanical allodynia. LFHI-EA was more effective than that of LFLI-EA. The LFHI-EA group also had longer lasting effects from the stimulation than the other groups. Sympathectomy didn't show any reduction of response frequency of mechanical allodynia.(Each n=6, n=4). Nor did both sympathectomy and ATP block. The response frequency wasn't reduced by sympathectomy or by sympathectomy and ATP block, but was significantly reduced with LFHI-EA Conclusions : These results suggest that EA has a significant analgesic effect on mechanical allodynia which has no connection with NE and/or ATP.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권11호
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• pp.1472-1476
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• 2007

본 연구는 정상적인 안압을 가진 비글견에서 4가지의 다른 농도를 가진 lidocaine을 사용하여 앞쪽목신경절차단 후 안압의 변화를 관찰하기 위하여 시행하였다. 실험군은 전향적 교차시험으로 10두의 비글견을 2%, 1%, 0.5% 및 0.25% lidocaine group으로 4군으로 나뉘었다. 모든 실험견들은 4 가지의 다른 농도를 가진 2 ml의 lidocaine을 사용하여 각 4번의 앞쪽목신경절 차단을 받았으며 신경 차단은 무작위로 1주일 간격으로 각각 시행되었다. 실험결과 호르너 증후군은 모든 실험군에서 관찰되었다. 1% lidocaine group에서는 대조군과 비교하여 차단 후 5분에서 안압의 유의한 상승이 있었으며(p<0.05), 2%와 1% lidocaine group의 안압은 앞쪽목신경절 차단 후 25분과 45분 사이 감소하였으나, 0.5%와 0.25% lidocaine group은 변화가 없었다. 이상의 결과를 종합하면, 앞쪽 목신경절 차단술은 정상 안압의 변화에 영향을 미치며 0.5%와 0.25% lidocaine은 안압을 변화시키기에는 부적당한 농도로 사료된다.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.163-167
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• 2011

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disease that causes chronic spontaneous pain and hyperesthesia of one or more parts of legs and arms, which is accompanied with problems of the automatic nervous system or the motor nervous system. However, up to date, it is unclear what causes the syndrome and how to diagnose and treat it. Although several treatments including medication and sympathetic nerve block are performed against CRPS, the therapeutic effect of the treatments is limited. The electroconvulsive thera-py (ECT), of which the mechanism is not clarified, is a treatment used for treatment-resistant depression. ECT is also reported to be effective against pain. Therefore, we performed the ECT for a 24-year-old female patient who has been diagnosed as CRPS. Her pain had not been much improved by medications and interventional procedures. At admission to a psychiatric ward for ECT, she com-plained of over 8 points of pain on visual analogue scale and the constrained movement around the painful part. Eight ECTs-three times a week-were performed for three weeks in hospital and then the ECT once a week was performed after her leaving the hospital. During the ECTs, pain had been reduced and the range of movement in the constrained parts had increased. Further systematic re-search is needed to confirm the effect of electroconvulsive therapy against CRPS.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.268-272
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• 2000

Thoracic sympathicotomy has been used safely and successfully to treat essential hyperhidrosis. However, it has been difficult to treat compansatory hyperhidrosis after thoracic sympathicotomy and focal hyperhidrosis. The sweat glands were innervated by post-ganglionic sympathetic fibers with acetylcholic serving as the transmitter. Botulinum A toxin has been reported to block neuro-transmission at the cholinergic autonomic nerve terminals. Prospecting its effect for the sweat gland, we treated 5 patients with focal hyperhidrosis with botulinum A toxin. Three patients received bilateral thoracic sympathectomy (1 case) and sympathicotomy(2 case) via VAT. The hyperhidrosis area was marked with betadine and was subdivided into squares of 2$\times$2 cm(4$\textrm{cm}^2$) each. Botulinum A toxin was injected intracutaneously in a dosage of 2.5U/0.1ml(100U/4ml) /4$\textrm{cm}^2$. A total dose of 100U of Botulinum A toxin was injected into the affected sites. Subjective assessment of sweat production by the patients using a visual analogue scale showed a 20~70% improvement. During the follow-up period, no toxic effects were observed.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.360-366
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• 2008

Purpose: Botulinum toxin type A(BoTA) can block the release of vasoconstriction cotransmitters as well as acetylcholine in nerve terminal. The authors observed that BoTA increases flap survival by preventing sympathetic collapse of peripheral vessels. Methods: 10 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control(n=5), and BoTA group(n=5). $3{\times}10cm$ sized random pattern cutaneous flaps were elevated on the dorsal side in both groups. In BoTA group, BoTA was injected into the flap via intradermal to subdermal route, 7 days before the flap elevation. Flap survival rates (survival area/total area) were measured 7 days after the elevation. Cutaneous blood flow was measured in proximal, middle and distal compartments of the flap using laser Doppler flowmetry initially, preoperatively, at immediate postoperation, and 7 days after flap elevation, respectively. Histological examination was performed 7 days after the flap elevation. The number and shape of the vessels were evaluated under microscope. Results: Mean flap survival was $53.18{\pm}6.58%$ in control group and $93.79{\pm}6.06%$ in BoTA group, displaying statistically significant difference(p=0.0008, p<0.05). In the control group, blood flow to the middle and distal compartments of the flap decreased significantly immediately after flap elevation. In the BoTA group, blood flow to the middle compartment did not decrease(p=0.002) and slightly decreased in the distal compartment(p=0.001). Cutaneous blood flow was significantly higher in all compartments of the flap in BoTA group than in control group, 7 days after the flap elevation. In histopathologic examination, greater number of vessels were noted in the BoTA group than in the control group. Conclusion: Botulinum toxin A can increase the survival of the random pattern cutaneous flap in rats by preventing the sympathetic collapse of peripheral vessels.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.197-205
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• 2009

신경병성 동통은 진단과 치료가 어려워 환자와 사회전반에 부담이 큰 질병이지만 이와 관련한 국내 보고는 많지 않다. 국내 신경병성 동통 환자의 유병률 연구에 이어 시행된 본 연구에서는 진료일수, 치료비, 수술 및 약제 사용 등의 치료 양태를 조사하고 신경병성 동통의 치료 영역에서 치과의 비중을 확인하고자 하였다. 연구를 위해 2003년부터 2005년까지 건강보험심사평가원의 전산시스템에 등록된 국내 보험 환자를 대상으로 다양한 신경병성 동통 질환(삼차신경통, 당뇨병성 신경병증, 포진후 신경통, 비정형 안면통, 설인신경통, 비정형 치통, 설통)을 주상병으로 하는 환자의 진료기록을 분석한 결과 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 당뇨병성 신경통이 가장 많이 내원하여 치료받았고, 환자 수는 포진후 신경통, 삼차신경통, 당뇨병성 신경통의 순서로 가장 많았다. 질병별로 각 진료과의 내원일수는 전반적으로 신경과, 신경외과, 마취통증의학과가 주로 많았는데, 특별히 증상 발현 부위가 진료과에 해당하는 경우 해당과의 내원일수가 높았다. 명세서 건당 치료비를 보면 마취과, 응급의학과가 전반적으로 많았으며, 재활의학과, 가정의학과가 높은 경향을 보였다. 치과는 삼차신경통, 비정형 안면통, 비정형 치통에서 다소 높은 치료비를 보였다. 많이 사용된 외과적 술식을 살펴보면 포진후 신경통과 당뇨병성 신경통에서는 다소 차이가 있으나 대부분 교감신경총 및 신경절 차단술, 척수신경말초지 차단술, 뇌신경 및 뇌신경말초 차단술이 주로 사용되었다. 치료약제는 비정형 치통과 설통의 경우 진통소염해열제가 절대적으로 많은 반면, 그 외 질환에서는 항전간제, 진통소염해열제, 정신신경용제가 주로 사용되었다. 이상의 결과로 보아 치과의 비중이 높은 신경병성 통증은 비정형 치통, 삼차신경통, 비정형 안면통이며, 환자의 수와 치료비의 전체적인 크기로 볼 때에는 삼차신경통의 규모가 치과에서는 가장 크다. 그러나 신경병성 동통 분야에서 여전히 구강내과를 포함한 치과의 역할이 부족한 상황이지만 치과전문의 제도 시행과 더불어 대국민 홍보와 적극적인 치료 참여를 통해 신경병성 동통 질환, 특히 삼차신경통, 비정형 치통, 비정형 안면통에 대한 치과의 역할과 비중을 높여야 할 것이다.