Functional connectivity modulations during offset analgesia in chronic pain patients: an fMRI study.

Patients with neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia showed reduced or absent offset analgesia (OA) response and attenuated cerebral activity in descending pain modulatory and reward systems in patients. However, neural network modifications of OA in chronic pain have not been determined. We enrolled 23 patients with various chronic pain and 17 age- and gender- matched healthy controls.

Attenuation of offset analgesia is associated with suppression of descending pain modulatory and reward systems in patients with chronic pain.

Background Offset analgesia is a disproportionate decrease of pain perception following a slight decrease of noxious thermal stimulus and attenuated in patients with neuropathic pain. We examined offset analgesia in patients with heterogeneous chronic pain disorders and used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore modification of cerebral analgesic responses in comparison with healthy controls. Results We recruited seventeen patients with chronic pain and seventeen age-, sex-matched healthy controls.

Disrupted offset analgesia distinguishes patients with chronic pain from healthy controls.

Offset analgesia (OA) represents a disproportionately large decrease of pain perception after a brief, temporary increment of thermal pain stimulus and was reported attenuated in patients with neuropathic pain. We examined whether OA depends on the increment duration before offset, and whether individual features of OA distinguish patients with chronic pain and healthy controls. We used a Peltier-type thermal stimulator and OA paradigms including 5-, 10-, or 15-s duration of 1°C-increment (T2) over 45°C.

[Two cases showing the absence of motor evoked potentials without developing postoperative paraplegia following thoracoabdominal aortic repair--role of epidural cooling, spinal drainage and aorto-iliac side-arm conduit distal perfusion].

We describe two cases which developed loss of motor evoked potentials from bilateral lower limbs following thoracoabdominal aortic repair. Paraplegia was suspected in both cases; however, one case of Crawford type 2 aneurysm showed transient left leg monoplegia with a sensory deficit and the other case of aortic pseudoaneurysm showed no neurologic dysfunction postoperatively. We employed epidural cooling and spinal drainage for spinal protection and distal perfusion was provided through aorto-iliac side-arm conduit.

[Case of anosmia which appeared after anaphylactic shock due to intravenous heparin].

A patient developed anaphylactic shock after a heparin dosage during an operation to make inner shunt for chronic renal failure of Alport syndrome. The operation was canceled and the patient was admitted to the ICU with tracheal intubation. He was extubated safely on the fifth postoperative day, but he lost the sense of smell from the day after.