title: Treatment of localized neuropathic pain of different etiologies with the 5% lidocaine medicated plaster - a case series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy and safety of the topical 5% lidocaine medicated plaster in the treatment of localized neuropathic pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case series at an Austrian pain clinic, using retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 27 patients treated for localized neuropathic pain with the 5% lidocaine medicated plaster were retrospectively analyzed. Assessment included changes in overall pain intensity, in intensity of different pain qualities, and of hyperalgesia and allodynia, and changes in sleep quality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients (17 female, ten male; mean age 53.4±11.4 years) presented mainly with dorsalgia (16 patients) or postoperative/posttraumatic pain (seven patients); one patient suffered from both. The mean overall pain intensity prior to treatment with lidocaine medicated plaster was 8.4±1.2 on the 11-point Likert scale. In the majority of cases, the lidocaine plaster was applied concomitantly with preexisting pain medication (81.5% of the patients). During the 6-month observation period, overall mean pain intensity was reduced by almost 5 points (4.98) to 3.5±2.6. Substantial reductions were also observed for neuralgiform pain (5 points from 7.9±2.6 at baseline) and burning pain (3 points from 5.2±4.1). Sleep quality improved from 4.6±2.6 at baseline to 5.5±1.8. Stratification by pain diagnosis showed marked improvements in overall pain intensity for patients with dorsalgia or postoperative/posttraumatic pain. The lidocaine plaster was well tolerated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, topical treatment with the 5% lidocaine medicated plaster was associated with effective pain relief and was well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Likar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demschar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kager
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neuwersch
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pipam
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Interdisciplinary Pain Centre, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sittl
keywords: 5% lidocaine medicated plaster; dorsalgia; localized neuropathic pain; postoperative/posttraumatic pain; topical analgesic