Prediction of postoperative pain by preoperative nociceptive responses to heat stimulation.

Background: Despite major advances in the understanding of the neurobiologic mechanisms of pain, the wide variation in acute pain experience has not been well explained. Therefore, the authors investigated the potential of a preoperatively induced heat injury to predict subsequent postoperative pain ratings in patients undergoing knee surgery.

Methods: Twenty patients were studied.

Arthroscopic knee surgery does not modify hyperalgesic responses to heat injury.

Background: Experimental studies suggest that surgical injury may up- or down-regulate nociceptive function. Therefore, the aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the effect of elective arthroscopically assisted knee surgery on nociceptive responses to a heat injury.

Methods: Seventeen patients scheduled to undergo repair of the anterior cruciate ligament and 16 healthy controls were studied.