NEUROPATHIC PAIN AND PROLONGED REGIONAL INFLAMMATION AS 2 DISTINCT SYMPTOMATOLOGICAL COMPONENTS IN COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME WITH PATCHY OSTEOPOROSIS - A PILOT-STUDY

To reappraise symptomatology of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), we investigated the clinical symptoms of seven patients with CRPS who showed associated patchy osteoporosis. The incidence of moderate to s evere spontaneous pain, burning pain, mechanical allodynia was higher in patients with significant nerve injury than in those without. Peria rticular tenderness adjacent to osteoporotic bones, abnormalities of b lood flow, edema and impairment of motor function were seen in both gr oups of patients. Our clinical observations of patients with CRPS asso ciated with patchy osteoporosis suggest that CRPS may have the followi ng two distinct components: (1) neuropathic pain that includes severe spontaneous pain or severe persistent mechanical allodynia and (2) pro longed regional inflammation, the early phase of which could be indica ted by positive inflammatory symptoms of pain (tenderness), heat, redn ess, swelling and loss of function and their alleviation with corticos teroids. (C) 1997 International Association for the Study of Pain. Pub lished by Elsevier Science B.V.