title: Treatment of localized neuropathic pain after disk herniation with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess treatment with the 5% lidocaine medicated plaster for peripheral neuropathic pain after disk herniation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series, single center, retrospective data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 23 patients treated for neuropathic pain with the lidocaine plaster for up to 24 months after a protrusion or prolapse of the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar vertebral disks were retrospectively analyzed. Changes in overall pain intensity, in intensity of different pain qualities and of allodynia and hyperalgesia were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients (14 female/nine male, mean age 53.5 ± 10.4 years) presented with radiating pain into the abdomen, back, neck, shoulder, or legs and feet with a mean pain intensity of 8.3 ± 1.5 on the 11-point Likert scale. Mean treatment duration was 7.6 months; 52% of the patients received lidocaine plaster as monotherapy. At the end of the observation, mean overall pain intensity had been reduced to 3.1 ± 1.8. All other parameters also improved. The treatment was well tolerated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results point to a safe and effective treatment approach with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster for localized neuropathic pain related to disk herniation. However, owing to the small sample size, further investigation in a larger-scale controlled trial is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Klagenfurt Hospital, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Likar
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kager
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obmann
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pipam
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sittl