Clinical criteria and treatment of segmental versus upper extremity reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

The effectiveness of a multimodal treatment protocol in the long-term management of upper extremity reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), as well as of isolated finger involvement, was analyzed. In the present series, 62 patients diagnosed with RSD were treated and followed for a mean of 22.2 +/- 1.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the upper extremity. Clinical features and response to multimodal management.

The weight of available evidence suggests that reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is a complex clinical entity that (1) occurs predominantly in young adult women; (2) has five clinical types but presents most frequently as minor traumatic dystrophy; (3) has primary signs and symptoms (e.g., pain, edema, stiffness, and discoloration) that are expressed highly in each clinical type, whereas secondary signs and symptoms are variable; (4) responds well to treatment, regardless of its clinical type; and (5) is managed best when treatment is started early.