Biomaterial Database

Chronic pain after surgery: what can we do to prevent it. 2007

Scott S Reuben

Department of Anesthesiology, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA 01199, USA. scott.reuben@bhs.org

The development of chronic pain after surgery is not an uncommon event. Despite increased attention devoted to this topic in the recent medical literature, little is known about the underlying mechanisms, natural history, and response to therapy of each syndrome. Central nervous system plasticity that occurs in response to tissue injury may contribute to the development of persistent postsurgical pain. As evidence continues to accumulate concerning the role of central sensitization in the prolongation of postoperative pain, many researchers have focused on methods to prevent central neuroplastic changes from occurring through the use of preemptive or preventative analgesic techniques. Effective preventative analgesic techniques may be useful in reducing not only acute pain but also chronic postsurgical pain and disability. This review examines the efficacy of using a variety of analgesic techniques aimed at preventing or reducing chronic pain after surgery. Specific chronic postsurgical pain syndromes evaluated include complex regional pain syndrome, phantom limb pain, chronic donor site pain, post-thoracotomy pain syndrome, and postmastectomy pain syndrome.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010149	Pain, Postoperative	Pain during the period after surgery.	Acute Post-operative Pain,Acute Postoperative Pain,Chronic Post-operative Pain,Chronic Post-surgical Pain,Chronic Postoperative Pain,Chronic Postsurgical Pain,Pain, Post-operative,Persistent Postsurgical Pain,Post-operative Pain,Post-operative Pain, Acute,Post-operative Pain, Chronic,Post-surgical Pain,Postoperative Pain, Acute,Postoperative Pain, Chronic,Postsurgical Pain,Postoperative Pain,Acute Post operative Pain,Chronic Post operative Pain,Chronic Post surgical Pain,Chronic Postsurgical Pains,Pain, Acute Post-operative,Pain, Acute Postoperative,Pain, Chronic Post-operative,Pain, Chronic Post-surgical,Pain, Chronic Postoperative,Pain, Chronic Postsurgical,Pain, Persistent Postsurgical,Pain, Post operative,Pain, Post-surgical,Pain, Postsurgical,Post operative Pain,Post operative Pain, Acute,Post operative Pain, Chronic,Post surgical Pain,Post-operative Pains,Post-surgical Pain, Chronic,Postsurgical Pain, Chronic,Postsurgical Pain, Persistent
D010523	Peripheral Nervous System Diseases	Diseases of the peripheral nerves external to the brain and spinal cord, which includes diseases of the nerve roots, ganglia, plexi, autonomic nerves, sensory nerves, and motor nerves.	Peripheral Nerve Diseases,Peripheral Neuropathies,PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) Diseases,PNS Diseases,Peripheral Nervous System Disease,Peripheral Nervous System Disorders,Nerve Disease, Peripheral,Nerve Diseases, Peripheral,Neuropathy, Peripheral,PNS Disease,Peripheral Nerve Disease,Peripheral Neuropathy
D010591	Phantom Limb	Perception of painful and nonpainful phantom sensations that occur following the complete or partial loss of a limb. The majority of individuals with an amputated extremity will experience the impression that the limb is still present, and in many cases, painful. (From Neurol Clin 1998 Nov;16(4):919-36; Brain 1998 Sep;121(Pt 9):1603-30)	Pseudomelia,Phantom Limb Pain,Phantom Pain,Phantom Sensation,Limb Pain, Phantom,Limb Pains, Phantom,Limb, Phantom,Limbs, Phantom,Pain, Phantom,Pain, Phantom Limb,Pains, Phantom,Pains, Phantom Limb,Phantom Limb Pains,Phantom Limbs,Phantom Pains,Phantom Sensations,Pseudomelias,Sensation, Phantom,Sensations, Phantom
D012019	Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy	A syndrome characterized by severe burning pain in an extremity accompanied by sudomotor, vasomotor, and trophic changes in bone without an associated specific nerve injury. This condition is most often precipitated by trauma to soft tissue or nerve complexes. The skin over the affected region is usually erythematous and demonstrates hypersensitivity to tactile stimuli and erythema. (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1360; Pain 1995 Oct;63(1):127-33)	Algodystrophy,Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Type I,Pain Syndrome Type I, Regional, Complex,Shoulder-Hand Syndrome,Sudek Atrophy,Algodystrophic Syndrome,CRPS Type I,Cervical Sympathetic Dystrophy,Pain Syndrome Type I, Complex Regional,RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy),Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome,Sudek's Atrophy,Sympathetic Reflex Dystrophia,Syndrome, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy,Type I Complex Regional Pain Syndrome,Algodystrophies,Atrophies, Sudek's,Atrophy, Sudek,Atrophy, Sudek's,CRPS Type Is,Cervical Sympathetic Dystrophies,Dystrophies, Cervical Sympathetic,Dystrophies, Reflex Sympathetic,Dystrophy, Cervical Sympathetic,Dystrophy, Reflex Sympathetic,RSDs (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy),Reflex Dystrophia, Sympathetic,Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophies,Shoulder Hand Syndrome,Shoulder-Hand Syndromes,Sudek's Atrophies,Sudeks Atrophy,Sympathetic Dystrophies, Cervical,Sympathetic Dystrophies, Reflex,Sympathetic Dystrophy, Cervical,Sympathetic Dystrophy, Reflex,Sympathetic Reflex Dystrophias,Syndrome, Algodystrophic,Syndrome, Shoulder-Hand,Syndromes, Shoulder-Hand,Type I, CRPS
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013908	Thoracotomy	Surgical incision into the chest wall.	Thoracotomies