Sensitivity and Specificity of a Neuropathic Screening Tool (Self-Report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs, S-LANSS) in Adolescents With Moderate-Severe Chronic Pain.

Neuropathic screening tools improve recognition of neuropathic pain in adults. Although utilized in pediatric populations, the sensitivity, specificity and methodology of screening tool delivery have not been compared in children. We evaluated the Self-Report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS) in adolescents (10-18 years) referred to a tertiary pediatric pain clinic.

Amygdalar Functional Connectivity Differences Associated With Reduced Pain Intensity in Pediatric Peripheral Neuropathic Pain.

Background: There is evidence of altered corticolimbic circuitry in adults with chronic pain, but relatively little is known of functional brain mechanisms in adolescents with neuropathic pain (NeuP). Pediatric NeuP is etiologically and phenotypically different from NeuP in adults, highlighting the need for pediatric-focused research. The amygdala is a key limbic region with important roles in the emotional-affective dimension of pain and in pain modulation.

Phenotyping peripheral neuropathic pain in male and female adolescents: pain descriptors, somatosensory profiles, conditioned pain modulation, and child-parent reported disability.

Neuropathic pain (NeuP) can be difficult to diagnose and manage in children. Data regarding prevalence and sex-dependent differences are limited, and more detailed phenotyping is needed. This observational cohort study recruited adolescents (10-17 years) with NeuP or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

The feasibility and acceptability of research magnetic resonance imaging in adolescents with moderate-severe neuropathic pain.

Introduction: Multimodal characterisation with questionnaires, Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST), and neuroimaging will improve understanding of neuropathic pain (NeuP) in adolescents. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in adolescents with NeuP are limited, and the perceived practical or ethical burden of scanning may represent a barrier to research.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of MRI scanning in adolescents with moderate-severe NeuP, with respect to consent rate, postscan acceptability, and data quality.

Pediatric Erythromelalgia and SCN9A Mutations: Systematic Review and Single-Center Case Series.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical features of erythromelalgia in childhood associated with gain-of-function SCN9A mutations that increase activity of the Na1.7 voltage-gated sodium channel, we conducted a systematic review of pediatric presentations of erythromelalgia related to SCN9A mutations, and compared pediatric clinical presentations of symptomatic erythromelalgia, with or without SCN9A mutations.

Study Design: PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO Databases were searched for reports of inherited erythromelalgia in childhood.

Assessing acute and chronic pain in children and young people.

Accurate assessment of pain in children and young people is an essential nursing skill that forms the basis of any pain management intervention. This article outlines the different tools available to assess acute and chronic pain in children and young people. Validity and reliability of these tools is discussed and the importance of factors such as level of cognitive development and age are emphasised.

A comparison of pain measures in newborn infants after cardiac surgery.

Accurate pain assessment tools to evaluate pain in critically ill neonates in the postoperative period are lacking. Therefore, we compared a number of potentially useful indices of pain in critically ill neonates following cardiac surgery. Eighty-one full-term infants were studied during the first 48 postoperative hours and the following indices were measured: heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, heart-rate variability, urinary and plasma cortisol, and 4 composite pain measurement scales: Children's and Infants' Postoperative Pain Scale (CHIPPS), CRIES, COMFORT, and Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP).

Nurse-controlled analgesia (NCA) following major surgery in 10,000 patients in a children's hospital.

Background And Objectives: Patients who received NCA with morphine following major surgery between 1996 and 2008 at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK, were prospectively studied in the postoperative period to determine effectiveness, morphine requirements, incidence of common side effects, and serious adverse events.

Methods: The morphine NCA regimen and monitoring was according to standard hospital protocols. Data were collected prospectively and subsequently entered by trained personnel into a secure database.

Exploring issues of parental consent to research: a case-study approach.

In this article, a novice nurse researcher relates her personal experience of encountering a challenging situation while taking consent from the parents of a critically ill child. This critical incident raises issues for the researcher of ensuring validity of the consent process and ensuring recruitment of an unbiased sample when issues of language and culture could impede communication. The process of reflection allowed the novice researcher to gain greater insight into her responsibilities as a research nurse in relation to recruiting patients and to reflect on how she would integrate this into her future practice, thus enhancing her confidence in her role.