Efficacy of ketamine in anesthetic dosage for the treatment of refractory complex regional pain syndrome: an open-label phase II study.

Objective: Advanced complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) remains very difficult to treat. While subanesthetic low-dose ketamine has shown promise in early localized CRPS, its use in advanced CRPS has not been as effective. Since ketamine's analgesic potency and duration of effect in neuropathic pain are directly dose-dependant, we investigated the efficacy of ketamine in anesthetic dosage in refractory CRPS patients that had failed available standard therapies.

A pilot open-label study of the efficacy of subanesthetic isomeric S(+)-ketamine in refractory CRPS patients.

Objective: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a severe neuropathic pain state that is often disproportionate to the initial trauma. Associated features are autonomic dysregulation, swelling, motor dysfunction, and trophic changes to varying degrees. Despite a multitude of treatment modalities, a subgroup of CRPS patients remain refractory to all standard therapies.

The neurocognitive effects of 5 day anesthetic ketamine for the treatment of refractory complex regional pain syndrome.

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome I (CRPS) is characterized by severe neuropathic pain that exceeds the severity of an injury and is refractory to traditional treatments. Recent experimental interventions include ketamine infusion therapy.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the physical, neurocognitive, and emotional effects of extended treatment with anesthetic doses of ketamine in refractory CRPS I patients.

Complete recovery from intractable complex regional pain syndrome, CRPS-type I, following anesthetic ketamine and midazolam.

Objective: To describe the treatment of an intractable complex regional pain syndrome I (CRPS-I) patient with anesthetic doses of ketamine supplemented with midazolam.

Methods: A patient presented with a rapidly progressing contiguous spread of CRPS from a severe ligamentous wrist injury. Standard pharmacological and interventional therapy successively failed to halt the spread of CRPS from the wrist to the entire right arm.