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Operated Side (operated + side)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	80%

Selected Abstracts

Differentiation and migration of astrocytes in the spinal cord following dorsal root injury in the adult rat

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 4 2003
Elena N. Kozlova
Abstract Nerve fibre degeneration in the spinal cord is accompanied by astroglial proliferation. It is not known whether these cells proliferate in situ or are recruited from specific regions harbouring astroglial precursors. We found cells expressing nestin, characteristic of astroglial precursors, at the dorsal surface of the spinal cord on the operated side from 30 h after dorsal root injury. Nestin-expressing cells dispersed to deeper areas of the dorsal funiculus and dorsal horn on the operated side during the first few days after injury. Injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) 2 h before the end of the experiment, at 30 h after injury, revealed numerous BrdU-labelled, nestin-positive cells in the dorsal superficial region. In animals surviving 20 h after BrdU injection at 28 h postlesion, cells double-labelled with BrdU and nestin were also found in deeper areas. Labeling with BrdU 2 h before perfusion showed proliferation of microglia and radial astrocytes in the ventral and lateral funiculi on both sides of the spinal cord 30 h after injury. Nestin-positive cells coexpressed the calcium-binding protein Mts1, a marker for white matter astrocytes, in the dorsal funiculus, and were positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), but negative for Mts1 in the dorsal horn. One week after injury the level of nestin expression decreased and was undetectable after 3 months. Taken together, our data indicate that after dorsal root injury newly formed astrocytes in the degenerating white and grey matter first appear at the dorsal surface of the spinal cord from where some of them subsequently migrate ventrally, and differentiate into white- or grey-matter astrocytes. [source]

Incidence of shoulder pain after neck dissection: A clinical explorative study for risk factors

HEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 11 2001
Pieter U. Dijkstra PhD
Abstract Background It is the purpose of this study to determine the incidence of shoulder pain and restricted range of motion of the shoulder after neck dissection, and to identify risk factors for the development of shoulder pain and restricted range of motion. Methods Clinical patients who underwent a neck dissection completed a questionnaire assessing shoulder pain. The intensity of pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (100 mm). Range of motion of the shoulder was measured. Information about reconstructive surgery and side and type of neck dissection was retrieved from the medical records. Results Of the patients (n = 177, mean age 60.3 years [SD, 11.9]) 70% experienced pain in the shoulder. Forward flexion and abduction of the operated side was severely reduced compared to the non-operated side, 21° and 47°, respectively. Non-selective neck dissection was a risk factor for the development of shoulder pain (9.6 mm) and a restricted shoulder abduction (55°). Reconstruction was risk factor for a restricted forward flexion of the shoulder (24.5°). Conclusions Shoulder pain after neck dissection is clinically present in 70% of the patients. Non-selective neck dissection is a risk factor for shoulder pain and a restricted abduction. Reconstruction is a risk factor for a restricted forward flexion of the shoulder. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 23: 947,953, 2001. [source]

Persistent sensory dysfunction in pain-free herniotomy

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2010
E. K. AASVANG
Background: Persistent post-herniotomy pain may be a neuropathic pain state based on the finding of a persistent sensory dysfunction. However, detailed information on the normal distribution of sensory function in pain-free post-herniotomy patients hinders identification of exact pathogenic mechanisms. Therefore, we aimed to establish normative data on sensory function in pain-free patients >1 year after a groin herniotomy. Methods: Sensory thresholds were assessed in 40 pain-free patients by a standardized quantitative sensory testing (QST). Secondary endpoints included comparison of sensory function between the operated and the naïve side, and correlation between sensory function modalities. Results: QST showed that on the operated side, thermal data were normally distributed, but mechanical pressure and pinch thresholds were normalized only after log-transformation, and cold pain and pressure tolerance could not be normalized. Comparison of QST results revealed significant (P<0.01) cutaneous hypoesthesia/hyperalgesia, but also significant pressure hyperalgesia (P<0.01) and decreased pressure tolerance (P=0.02) on the operated vs. the naïve side. Wind-up was seen in 6 (15%) but with a low pain intensity. Conclusion: Persistent sensory dysfunction is common in pain-free post-herniotomy patients. Future studies of sensory function in persistent post-herniotomy pain should compare the findings to the present data in order to characterize individual patients and potentially identify subgroups, which may aid in allocation of patients to pharmacological or surgical treatment. [source]

Late sensory function after intraoperative capsaicin wound instillation

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2010
E. K. AASVANG
Background: Intense capsaicin-induced C-fiber stimulation results in reversible lysis of the nerve soma, thereby making capsaicin wound instillation of potential interest for the treatment of post-operative pain. Clinical histological and short-term sensory studies suggest that the C-fiber function is partly re-established after skin injection of capsaicin. However, no study has evaluated the long-term effects of wound instillation of purified capsaicin on sensory functions. Methods: Patients included in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study of the analgesic effect of capsaicin after groin hernia repair were examined by quantitative sensory testing before, 1 week and 2 years post-operatively. The primary endpoint was occurrence of hyperalgesia/allodynia. The secondary endpoints were acute and late sensory changes between the two patient groups. Patients were blinded to the allocated treatment. Results: Twenty (100%) capsaicin and 16 (76%) placebo-treated patients were seen at the year follow-up. Hyperalgesia was seen in five capsaicin- vs. one placebo-treated patient (P=0.2). The mechanical detection threshold was significantly increased on the operated side in the capsaicin vs. placebo group at the 1-week follow-up (P<0.05), but was not different at the year follow-up (P=0.3). There were no other significant differences in sensory function on the operated side between groups at the pre-operative, 1-week or year post-operative follow-up (P>0.05). The sensory function on the contralateral side was comparable between groups throughout the study (P>0.1). Conclusion: This small-volume study calls for further long-term safety studies of wound capsaicin instillation. [source]

Sensory function and pain in a population of patients treated for breast cancer

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2009
O. J. VILHOLM
Background: Chronic pain is often reported after surgery for breast cancer. This study examined pain and sensory abnormalities in women following breast cancer surgery. Methods: Sensory tests were carried out on the operated and contra-lateral side in 55 women with chronic pain after breast cancer treatment and in a reference group of 27 pain-free women, who had also undergone treatment for breast cancer. Testing included a numeric rating score of spontaneous pain, detection and pain threshold to thermal and dynamic mechanical stimuli and temporal summation to repetitive pinprick stimulation. The neuropathic pain symptom inventory was applied for participants with chronic pain. Results: The mean age was 58.6 years for the pain patients and 60.6 years for the pain-free patients. Thermal thresholds were significantly higher on the operated side than on the contra-lateral side in both groups and side difference in warmth detection threshold was significantly higher in the pain group than in the pain-free group (mean 3.8 °C vs. 1.1 °C, P=0.01). The frequency of cold allodynia was higher in participants with pain than in pain-free participants (15/53 vs. 1/25, P=0.01), and the frequency of temporal summation evoked by repetitive pinprick was higher in participants with pain than in pain-free participants (23/53 vs. 2/25, P=0.0009). The frequency of dynamic mechanical allodynia did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusion: These findings suggest that chronic pain after surgery for breast cancer is associated with sensory hyperexcitability and is a neuropathic pain condition. [source]