Pain AND Magnetic resonance imagin

Acupuncture and imagery interventions for pain management have a long history. The present study comparatively investigated whether acupuncture and video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT, watching a video of acupuncture on the participant's own body while imagining it being applied) could modulate brain regional connectivity to produce analgesic effects. The study also examined whether pre-intervention brain functional and structural features could be used to predict the magnitude of analgesic effects...

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an extremely rare case of the Lemierre syndrome, which is characterized as septic thrombophlebitis of the jugular vein as a consequence of oropharyngeal infection. We present a unique case of Lemierre syndrome caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, complicated by epidural abscess. The patient presented with fever, severe nuchal pain and stiffness and mild sore throat and headache. Computed tomography revealed a neck abscess localized dorsally to a left mandibular ramus and continuing caudally along the sternocleidomastoid muscle, thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein and fluid collection in the epidural space...

BACKGROUND: No approved therapies exist for inoperable plexiform neurofibromas in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, phase 2 trial of selumetinib to determine the objective response rate among patients with plexiform neurofibromas and to assess clinical benefit. Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 and symptomatic inoperable plexiform neurofibromas received oral selumetinib twice daily at a dose of 25 mg per square meter of body-surface area on a continuous dosing schedule (28-day cycles)...

Background: There are important criteria in the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). These become significant if supported by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Otherwise, these findings alone may not be sufficient to diagnose TMD. Aim: This study compared the relationship between clinical findings indicated by patient and physician and MRI results in the diagnosis of TMD. Materials and Methods: Clinical examinations were performed in patients suspected of TMD for pain, difficulty in mouth opening, masticatory muscle tenderness, deviation (during mouth opening), normal mouth opening, and presence of bruxism...

RATIONALE: Liver transplantation (LT) is the preferred surgical option for the treatment of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In contrast, surgical treatment of progressive HCC metastasized to the spine following LT constitutes a considerable challenge. Here, we report the first case of progressive HCC metastasized to the T12 vertebra after local radiotherapy, treated successfully with en bloc lumpectomy following LT for HCC. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 40-year-old man who had undergone LT for the treatment of HCC 2 months prior presented to our clinic with symptoms of progressive back pain...

INTRODUCTION: One of the major disabling health conditions among elderly is back pain due to degenerative diseases. Less than 1% of spine disorders are caused by malignancies. Among the rare primary vertebral neoplasms the multiple myeloma and the plasmacytoma account for 26% of these cases. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We are reporting a case of 64 year-old woman, who suffered from progressive upper back pain and intermittent neurological symptoms including lower limb weakness and voiding disorder under axial loading...

A patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 presented to the pain clinic with neuropathic pain. Thoracolumbar magnetic resonance imagining revealed meningocele T12-L2 with cauda equina distortion. After becoming pregnant, the patient interrupted opioid treatment, refusing pharmacological treatment until the pain became unbearable. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was proposed. The patient used this treatment from the first trimester until month 6 postpartum, achieving good analgesia without any adverse effects for the mother or child...

A variety of lesions may arise within the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Schwannomas and meningiomas are most commonly found in this location; however epidermoid cysts may also be found in this area. Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old man with severe right facial pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a right CPA mass that had heterogenous intensity on T2-weighted imagining and restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging. The patient was offered resection of the mass for treatment of his facial pain via an endoscopic retrosigmoid approach...

INTRODUCTION: Despite improvements in technique and materials for rotator cuff repair, mean re-tear rates remain close to 30%. The aim of the present study was to assess injection of Autologous Conditioned Plasma (ACP™, Arthrex) for tendon healing after arthroscopic repair. The study hypothesis was that ACP™ improves the tendon-healing rate. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A non-randomized comparative prospective study included all patients aged over 18 years operated on in 2010 for arthroscopic repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tear with≤2 fatty degeneration on the Goutallier classification, whatever the severity of retraction, on virgin non-osteoarthritic shoulder without contraindications for magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography...

PURPOSE: Surgical management of a young patient with a stable but painful acromioclavicular (AC) joint but normal imagining is a challenging problem. A standard arthroscopic excision of distal clavicle seems too aggressive. An alternative procedure is arthroscopic debridement of the joint, particularly the often torn meniscus, and chondroplasty. This study demonstrates in younger patients the medium-term result of arthroscopic debridement of a painful AC joint. METHODS: Fifty-three young adult patients with a stable but painful AC joint, and virtually normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, had arthroscopic debridement of the AC joint...

A 55-year-old male patient presented with repeated acute retrosternal chest pain. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram and cardiac enzymes revealed non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. He was treated as non-ST elevation myocardial infarction at first. The symptoms of left-sided hemiparesis and aphasia occurred later on after admission. The results of emergent brain computed tomography and magnetic resonance imagining demonstrated acute stroke. The unusual presentation warned us of the possibility of aortic dissection...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study determining whether or not Non-invasive Spinal Decompression Therapy (NSDT) was effective in resorption of herniation, increasing disc height in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LHNP). METHODS: A total of twenty patients diagnosed as LHNP and suffering from pain at least 8 weeks were enrolled to the study. Patients were allocated in study (SG) and control groups (CG) randomly. Both groups received combination of electrotherapy, deep friction massage and stabilization exercise for fifteen session...

INTRODUCTION: Study aim is to report the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) features of acute and chronic spontaneous spondylodiscitis. CASE REPORT: 57 year old female, complaining of a fever and longstanding cervical pain worsened during physical therapy. METHODS: MR images were acquired using superconductive magnet 1.5 T, with the following sequences: sagittal PD and T2 TSE, sagittal T1 SE, axial PD and T2 TSE (lumbar spine), axial T2 GRE (cervical spine)...

Chronic neck pain patients display functional impairments like decreased range of motion, decreased strength, and reduced sensorimotor function. In patients without structural damage, the reason for the persistence of pain is not well understood. Therefore, it is assumed that in chronic pain states, memory processes play an important role. We have now detected and tested a patient that might help us to better understand the neural correlates of maladaptive pain expectation/memory. This patient displays chronic neck pain and restricted unilateral motion of the cervical spine to the left...

In a medical context, decision-making is associated with complicated assessment of gains, losses and uncertainty of outcomes. We here provide novel evidence about the brain mechanisms underlying decision-making of analgesic treatment. Thirty-six healthy participants were recruited and completed the Analgesic Decision-making Task (ADT), which quantified individual tendency of risk-taking (RPI), as the frequency of choosing a riskier option to relieve pain. All the participants received resting-state (rs) functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and structural MRI...

Liver transplantation provides an important, often life-saving treatment for end-stage liver disease. Osteoporosis post-liver transplantation has been described in adults; however, this has not been described in the pediatric population to date. We present a case of a 13-year-old female patient who underwent an orthotopic liver transplant for cryptogenic liver cirrhosis. Her immunosuppressants were tacrolimus and prednisone. Four months posttransplant, she started complaining of bilateral lower limb pain and limping while walking, progressing to a point where she was almost immobile...

Being able to remember physically and emotionally painful events in one's own past may shape behavior, and can create an aversion to a variety of situations. Pain imagination is a related process that may include recall of past experiences, in addition to production of sensory and emotional percepts without external stimuli. This study aimed to understand 1) the central nervous system processes that underlie pain imagination, 2) the retrieval of pain memories, and 3) to compare the latter with visual object memory...

Liver transplantation provides an important, often life-saving treatment for end-stage liver disease. Osteoporosis post-liver transplantation has been described in adults; however, this has not been described in the pediatric population to date. We present a case of a 13-year-old female patient who underwent an orthotopic liver transplant for cryptogenic liver cirrhosis. Her immunosuppressants were tacrolimus and prednisone. Four months posttransplant, she started complaining of bilateral lower limb pain and limping while walking, progressing to a point where she was almost immobile...

PURPOSE: Our aim was to study the dynamics of the post-surgical canal and nerve volumes and their relationships to objective [electromyoneurography (EMNG)] and subjective (pain) outcomes. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) (median age 52, range 23-75 years) with a prominent narrowing of the median nerve within the canal (observed during carpal tunnel release) were evaluated clinically using EMNG and magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) before and at 90 and 180 days post-surgery...

Empathy is a process that comprises affective sharing, imagining, and understanding the emotions and mental states of others. The brain structures involved in empathy for physical pain include the anterior insula (AI), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). High empathy may lead people to undertake pro-social behavior. It is important to understand how this process can be changed, and what factors these empathic responses depend on. Physical attractiveness is a major social and evolutional cue, playing a role in the formation of interpersonal evaluation...