Pain following craniotomy: reassessment of the available options.
Pain following craniotomy has frequently been neglected because of the notion that postcraniotomy patients do not experience severe pain. However a gradual change in this outlook is observed because of increased sensitivity of neuroanaesthesiologists and neurosurgeons toward acute postcraniotomy pain. Multiple modalities exist for treating this variety of pain each with its own share of advantages and disadvantages. However, individually none of these modalities has been proclaimed as the best and applicable universally. A considerable amount of dispute remains to ascertain the appropriate therapeutic regimen for treating postcraniotomy pain in spite of numerous trials using different drugs and their combinations. This review aims to highlight the genesis, characteristics, and different strategies that are undertaken for management of acute postcraniotomy pain. Chronic postcraniotomy pain which can be debilitating sequelae is also discussed concisely.
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rae Bareilly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India.
Rudrashish
R
Haldar
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rae Bareilly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India.
Ashutosh
A
Kaushal
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rae Bareilly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India.
Devendra
D
Gupta
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rae Bareilly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India.
Shashi
S
Srivastava
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rae Bareilly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India.
Prabhat K
PK
Singh
D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000700:Analgesics; D000779:Anesthetics, Local