Reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the face: current treatment recommendations.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) of the face is an infrequently reported clinical pain syndrome characterized by dysesthesia, hyperalgia, hyperpathia, and allodynia. Treatment strategies, extrapolated from RSD and causalgia of the extremities, remain variable and poorly defined. Sympathetic blockade is generally the diagnostic and therapeutic treatment of choice; however, the frequency, timing, and duration of injections; need for neurolytic blocks; and role of sympathectomy are not well understood.