title: Quantitative sensory testing in pain management.
abstract: Quantitative sensory testing (QST), a set of noninvasive methods used to assess sensory and pain perception, has been used for three decades. The precision of the instruments and the uninvasiveness encouraged many QST-based trials. The developments made have benefited multiple disciplines. QST relies on analysis of an individual's response to external stimuli, reflecting the integrity of the PNS and the sensory pathway. The sensory pathway cannot be assessed in isolation from the affective and cognitive characteristics of patients or testers. Many variables potentially affect the reliability and reproducibility of QST, which after all, is designed for the testing of individuals by other individuals. Several decades of QST research have yielded exciting contributions, but the future of QST cannot be fully known.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine Lyndon B Johnson Hospital, Houston, TX 77026, USA.
authors.forename: Carlos J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Roldan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Salahadin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdi
mesh_terms: D004916:Erythromelalgia / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000502:physiology; D036421:Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated / Q000502:physiology; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: neuropathy; pain medicine; quantitative sensory testing; small peripheral nerve fibers