Study of nociceptive flexion reflex in healthy subjects and patients with chronic neuropathic pain syndrome.

Nociceptive flexion reflex was measured in healthy subjects and patients with chronic neuropathic pain (diabetic distal symmetric sensorimotor polyneuropathy). The study of nociceptive flexion reflex revealed reduction of subjective pain threshold and reflex threshold in patients compared with healthy persons reflecting deficit of descending antinociceptive influences in the CNS.

[The state of nociceptive and antinociceptive brain systems in patients with the pain form of diabetic polyneuropathy].

We studied 48 patients with the pain form of distal symmetric sensorimotor diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) before and after polytherapy and 17 sex- and age-matched healthy people. Clinical/neurological, psychometric and neurophysiologic (recording of nociceptive flexor reflex (NFR) and exteroceptive suppression of involuntary muscle activity) methods were used. Lower NFR thresholds and coefficients pain threshold/reflex threshold (Pt/Rt) as well as the presence of moderately-severe depression and high anxiety level were found in patients with DPN.

[Diagnosis of lesions of the ilioinguinal nerve using clinical and electromyographic methods].

On the basis of a study of 11 normals and 19 patients, the clinical and EMG features of iloinguinal nerve lesions are described. In lesions of this nerve there are EMG changes in the internal oblique abdominal muscles, which indicate an involvement into the pathological process of not only of the nerve conductors, but central structures. The EMG method may be recommended as a supplementary one for detecting subclinical forms of the disease, clarification of the diagnosis and determination of the degree of nerve lesions.