title: The prevalence of central poststroke pain according to the integrity of the spino-thalamo-cortical pathway.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the prevalence of central poststroke pain (CPSP) according to the integrity of the spino-thalamo-cortical pathway (STP). Using diffusion tensor tractography, we investigated the prevalence of CPSP according to the integrity of the STP in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 52 consecutive chronic patients and 10 normal control subjects. Patients were classified into two groups according to preservation of the integrity of the STP. Each group was divided into two subgroups according to the presence of CPSP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The preserved group included 34 patients [CPSP subgroup, 16 (47%) patients; non-CPSP subgroup, 18 (53%) patients], and 18 patients were enrolled into the disrupted group [CPSP subgroup, 3 (17%) patients; non-CPSP subgroup, 15 (83%) patients]. The fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values of the CPSP and non-CPSP subgroups of the preserved group were decreased and increased when compared with those of the control group, respectively (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the prevalence of CPSP in patients with partial injury of the STP was higher than that of patients with complete injury of the STP. Partial injury of the STP appears to be more vulnerable to development of CPSP than complete injury of the STP in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Yeungnam College of Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Taegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Byung Yun
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Chul Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Seong Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Dong Gyu
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong Hyun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016880:Anisotropy; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D013133:Spinothalamic Tracts / Q000473:pathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology