Intractable facial pain

Description:View Large Evaluation of Patients for Neurostimulation Therapy Patients considered for any neurostimulation procedure should undergo a comprehensive preoperative evaluation and screening including a detailed pain history, the nature and results of prior pain treatments, and a thorough neurological examination. Imaging studies appropriate to the particular problem should be reviewed to clarify the underlying pathological process if possible and exclude a potentially correctable primary surgical problem. Visual analog scale VAS scores are useful in characterizing the type and intensity of pain and should be completed prior to surgery and at fixed postoperative intervals to monitor effectiveness of therapy. Unfortunately, changes in VAS scores alone often do not reflect the true effectiveness of a particular therapy and clearly are inadequate for determining the benefit of a particular therapy on functional capacity, quality of life, etc. As nearly all patients with chronic pain demonstrate at least some degree of psychosocial stress, a baseline neuropsychological evaluation should be a standard part of the screening process. Evaluation by a skilled pain psychologist is invaluable for identifying factors that might influence the effectiveness of treatment such as significant depression, external psychosocial stressors, etc.

Views: 6580 Date: 2018-07-31 Favorited: 71