Nerve crush--a possible treatment of peripheral neuralgia.
Twenty-three patients with neuralgic pain (mean duration 3 years) were treated with crushing instead of sectioning the peripheral nerve. There was immediate relief of pain in 19 patients (83%). With the return of skin sensation the pain recurred after 3-4 months in 4 patients and within 2.5 years in another 3 patients. Twelve (52%) of the patients felt no pain at follow-up after 3-6 years. Eight of the 12 patients (67%) who were free of pain at follow-up were still anaesthetic in the area; pain had returned in 6 of the 10 patients (60%) with normal skin sensation. There were no cases of postoperative deafferentation pain, and those 4 patients who did not experience any relief after nerve crush all had a restitutio ad integrum.
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, S-901 85 UmeåSweden.
Lennart
L
Rabow
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000601:surgery*; D010149:Postoperative Pain