Portuguese Version of the Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory: A Multicenter Validation Study.

Background: We aimed to perform the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory (PBPI) for the European Portuguese language and chronic pain population.

Methods: This is a longitudinal multicenter validation study. A Portuguese version of the PBPI (PBPI-P) was created through a process of translation, back translation, and expert panel evaluation.

Pharmacological versus microvascular decompression approaches for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia: clinical outcomes and direct costs.

In idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) the neuroimaging evaluation is usually normal, but in some cases a vascular compression of trigeminal nerve root is present. Although the latter condition may be referred to surgery, drug therapy is usually the first approach to control pain. This study compared the clinical outcome and direct costs of (1) a traditional treatment (carbamazepine [CBZ] in monotherapy [CBZ protocol]), (2) the association of gabapentin (GBP) and analgesic block of trigger-points with ropivacaine (ROP) (GBP+ROP protocol), and (3) a common TN surgery, microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve (MVD protocol).

Effectiveness of the association between carbamazepine and peripheral analgesic block with ropivacaine for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is achieved by using adjuvant analgesics like antiepileptics, with carbamazepine (CBZ) being the first-line approach for TN patients, although side effects may be present. Other approaches using gabapentin, namely when associated with peripheral analgesic block of TN trigger points with the local anesthetic ropivacaine (ROP), resulted in decreased pain and daily drug intake (reduced side effects). This study evaluates if the association between CBZ and the peripheral block with ROP reinforces the clinical value of CBZ.

Gabapentin supplemented with ropivacain block of trigger points improves pain control and quality of life in trigeminal neuralgia patients when compared with gabapentin alone.

Objective: Pain control in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is achieved using anticonvulsivants, mainly carbamazepine. When this drug cannot be used, other drugs like gabapentin (GBP) have been used to provide adequate pain control. To improve the therapeutic effect of GBP, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of associating GBP with ropivacain (ROP) analgesic block of facial trigger points in TN patients.