[The effectiveness of the percutaneous discectomy in the treatment of pain secondary to disc herniation].

Background: Percutaneous discectomy has shown to be useful for relief the radicular pain due to a disk hernia, which is a common condition in the general population. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous discectomy in radicular pain caused by disk hernia.

Methods: A descriptive study was done.

[Algological treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Experience of 15 years].

Background: We present the experience in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) during 15 years in one institute, evaluating epidemiological variables and clinical presentation, and comparing the results obtained with different treatments available.

Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was carried out by reviewing cases diagnosed by the Neurology Service, such as TN, and treated by the Pain Medicine and Palliative Care Unit of the Insituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubíran," from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2003. Age, sex, type of neuralgia, anatomical site affected and intensity of pain were evaluated by means of the Analogue Visual Scale (AVS).

[Complex regional pain syndrome. Current status].

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disorder or group of disorders that develop as a consequence of previous trauma with or without evident nerve injury. The syndrome is characterized by presence of spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia, sensitive changes, blood flow changes, sweating, and trophic changes. The disease is characterized by symptoms of acute inflammatory states as well as by chronic neuropathic changes.