• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2020

Background: Neuropathic pain (NP) is considered a clinically incurable condition despite various treatment options due to its diverse causes and complicated disease mechanisms. Since the early 2000s, multipotent human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been used in the treatment of NP in animal models. However, the effects of hMSC injections have not been studied in chronic post-ischemia pain (CPIP) mice models. Here, we investigated whether intrathecal (IT) and intrapaw (IP) injections of hMSCs can reduce mechanical allodynia in CPIP model mice. Methods: Seventeen CPIP C57/BL6 mice were selected and randomized into four groups: IT sham (n = 4), IT stem (n = 5), IP sham (n = 4), and IP stem (n = 4). Mice in the IT sham and IT stem groups received an injection of 5 μL saline and 2 × 10⁴ hMSCs, respectively, while mice in the IP sham and IP stem groups received an injection of 5 μL saline and 2 × 10⁵ hMSCs, respectively. Mechanical allodynia was assessed using von Frey filaments from pre-injection to 30 days post-injection. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia were also evaluated. Results: IT and IP injections of hMSCs improved mechanical allodynia. GFAP expression was decreased on day 25 post-injection compared with the sham group. Injections of hMSCs improved allodynia and GFAP expression was decreased compared with the sham group. Conclusions: These results suggested that hMSCs may be also another treatment modality in NP model by ischemia-reperfusion.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.161-174
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• 2013

This study was designed to evaluate the pain control effect by morphine injection to masticatory muscle pain patients. Patients with masticatory muscle pain visited the Department of Oral Medicine, Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital were recruited to this study and diagnosed by RDC/TMD. Experimental group were divided into four group; saline injection group (n=10), lidocaine injection group (n=10), morphine 1.5 mg injection group (n=10) and morphine 3 mg injection group (n=10). Evaluation list was the subjective pain evaluation(visual analogue scale, Mc Gill pain questionnaire, pain drawing) and the objective pain evaluation(pressure pain threshold, pressure pain tolerance) and evaluation time was injection before, after 1 hour, 24 hour, 48 hour and then it was analyzed statistically. The results were as follows : 1. The subjective pain evaluation were significantly different statistically in morphine 3 mg group after 48 hour. (VAS: p<0.01, MGQ: p<0.001, PD: p<0.05) 2. The objective pain evaluation were significantly different statistically in morphine 1.5 mg group after 1 hour. (PPT: p<0.01, PPTol: p<0.05) 3. The morphine 3 mg group were more significantly different than lidocaine group and morphine 1.5 mg group statistically in the McGill pain questionnaire evaluation. (1h: p<0.01, 24h: p<0.01, 48h: p<0.001) Therefore, it was revealed that the morphine 3 mg injection was effective to pain control for masticatory muscle pain patients within 48 hours and more effect than lidocaine injection.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.128-136
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• 2023

Background: The authors aimed to compare the effects of a one-time ultrasound (US)-guided subacromial corticosteroid injection and three-time ozone (O₂-O₃) injection in patients with chronic supraspinatus tendinopathy. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to the corticosteroid group (n = 22) or ozone group (n = 22). Injections in both groups were administered into subacromial bursa with an US-guided in-plane posterolateral approach. Primary outcome measure was the change in the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) score between baseline and 12-weeks post-injection. Secondary outcome measures included visual analog scale and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index scores. Assessments were recorded at baseline, and 4-weeks and 12-weeks post-injection. Results: Forty participants completed this study. Based on repeated measurement analysis of variance, a significant effect of time was found for all outcome measures in both groups. Both the groups showed clinically significant improvements in shoulder pain, quality of life, and function. Baseline, 4-week post-injection, and 12-week post-injection WORC scores (mean ± standard deviation) were 57.91 ± 18.97, 39.10 ± 20.50 and 37.22 ± 27.31 in the corticosteroid group, respectively and 69.03 ± 15.89, 39.11 ± 24.36, and 32.26 ± 24.58 in the ozone group, respectively. However, no significant group × time interaction was identified regarding all outcome measures. Conclusions: Three-time ozone injection was not superior to a one-time corticosteroid injection in patients with chronic supraspinatus tendinopathy. It might be as effective as corticosteroid injection at 4-weeks and 12-weeks post-injection in terms of relieving pain and improving quality of life and function.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 2015

Painful periarticular calcification most commonly occurs within the rotator cuff of the shoulder and rarely around the elbow, hip, foot, and neck. As acute inflammatory reaction develops, severe pain, exquisite tenderness, local swelling, and limitation of motion with pain occur. In case of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, it can be easily diagnosed according to the symptoms and with x-ray. However, in lesions of the hip, as it is a rare location and usually involves pain in the posterolateral aspect of the thigh, which can simulate radicular pain from a lumbar intervertebral disc, it could be difficult to diagnose. Hence, physicians usually focus on lumbar lesions; therefore, misdiagnosis is common and leads to a delayed management. Here, we report the case of a 30-year-old female patient with calcific tendinitis of the rectus femoris that was successfully managed with ultrasound-guided steroid injection. This study offers knowledge about the rectus femoris calcification.

• Korean Journal of Anesthesiology
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• v.71 no.6
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• pp.483-485
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• 2018

A 34-year-old man who previously underwent a craniotomy due to oligodendroglioma was admitted with a diagnosis of recurrent brain tumor. An awake craniotomy was planned. Approximately 15 minutes after completing the scalp nerve block, his upper torso suddenly moved and trembled for 10 seconds, suggesting a generalized clonic seizure. He recovered gradually and fully in 55 minutes without any neurological sequelae. The emergency computed tomography scan revealed a localized fluid collection and small intracerebral hemorrhage nearby in the temporoparietal cortex beneath the skull defect. He underwent surgery under general anesthesia at 8 hours after the seizure and was discharged from the hospital after 10 days. This report documents the first case of generalized seizure that was caused by the accidental intracerebral injection of local anesthetics. Although the patient recovered completely, the clinical implications regarding the scalp infiltration technique in a patient with skull defects are discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.291-294
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• 2013

There are various origins for chronic abdominal pain. About 10-30% of patients with chronic abdominal pain have abdominal wall pain. Unfortunately, abdominal wall pain is not thought to be the first origin of chronic abdominal pain; therefore, patients usually undergo extensive examinations, including diagnostic laparoscopic surgery. Entrapment of abdominal cutaneous nerves at the muscular foramen of the rectus abdominis is a rare cause of abdominal wall pain. If abdominal wall pain is considered in earlier stage of chronic abdominal pain, unnecessary invasive procedures are not required and patients will reach symptom free condition as soon as the diagnosis is made. Here, we report a case of successful treatment of a patient with abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome by ultrasound guided injection therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2014

Background: Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is one of the most common procedures for patients presenting low back pain and radiculopathy. However, there is no clear consensus on what constitutes appropriate steroid use for ESIs. To investigate optimal steroid injection methods for ESIs, surveys were sent to all academic pain centers and selected private practices in Korea via e-mail. Methods: Among 173 pain centers which requested the public health insurance reimbursements for their ESIs and were enrolled in the Korean Pain Society, 122 completed questionnaires were returned, for a rate of 70.5%; also returned were surveys from 39 academic programs and 85 private practices with response rates of 83.0% and 65.9%, respectively. Results: More than half (55%) of Korean pain physicians used dexamethasone for ESIs. The minimum interval of subsequent ESIs at the academic institutions (3.1 weeks) and the private practices (2.1 weeks) were statistically different (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Although there was a wide range of variation, there were no significant differences between the academic institutions and the private practices in terms of the types and single doses of steroids for ESIs, the annual dose of steroids, or the limitations of doses in the event of diabetes, with the exception of the minimum interval before the subsequent ESI.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.214-217
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• 2001

Background: Intra-articular injection is a commonly performed procedure in patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee. Several drugs are used for relief of pain in such cases. Local anesthetics, clonidine and steroids have been confirmed to be effective when used in an intra-articular injection. Ketorolac has recently become one of the most commonly used and potent NSAIDs. There have been many studies about the effect of ketorolac. Methods: Sixty-four patients were divided into 2 groups. In Group I (n = 31), 0.5% bupivacaine 3 ml and sodium hyaluronate 20 mg were used and in Group II (n = 33), 0.5% bupivacaine 3 ml, sodium hyaluronate 20 mg and ketorolac 5 mg were used. We observed the pain relief scale (PRS) at 15 minutes, 1 week and 1-3 months after injection. Results: After 15 minutes, PRS scores were $6.6{\pm}2.7$ (Group I) and $5.1{\pm}3.1$ (Group II), so there was a statistical difference between the two groups. After 1 week, the PRS scores were $5.9{\pm}2.0$ (Group I) and $5.8{\pm}2.4$ (Group II). At 1-3 months later, PRS scores were $5.6{\pm}3.0$ (Group I) and $5.1{\pm}2.7$ (Group II). Thus, there were no significant statistical differences between the two groups at 1 week or 1-3 months later, although some patients were more satisfied with pain relief in Group II at 1-3 months. Conclusions: Ketorolac provides more rapid pain relief of degenerative arthritis when used in intra-articular injection. And there was no statistical difference of effect after 1 week or 1-3 months later. Further studies are required on the effect of the intra-articular use of ketorolac.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.147-151
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• 1991

Cervical epidural steroid injection, although not as familiar to many anesthesiologists, can be useful in the management of patients with acute and chronic neck, shoulder and arm pain. My clinic personally contacted and interviewed thirty patients with cervical radiculopathy who received cervical epidural steroid injection. Twenty seven percent of the patients had a excellent response(greater than 75% improvement) and fifty percent of the patients had a good response (greater than 50% improvement) to an injection of steroid into the cervical epidural space. We have concluded that cervical epidural steroid injection was very effective in the management of cervical radiculopathy and represented a possible alternative to surgery. Many anesthesiologists should add to their armamentarium the use of such techniques in the management of cervical radiculopathy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.52-57
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• 2009

Background: Transforaminal epidural injection (TEI) may be useful to treat unilateral pain that has a dermatomal distribution. In this approach, the needle tip can be placed closer to the dorsal root ganglion and ventral aspect of the nerve root. However many studies have reported that serious complications following TEI occurred more frequently when it was conducted at the cervical level. One of the presumptive mechanisms of the complication is intravascular injection. Therefore this study was conducted to identify the incidence of complications in response to intravascular injections at cervical segments. Methods: This study included all patients, who visited our pain clinic and had radicular symptoms or herpes zoster associated pain. All procedures were conducted under fluoroscopic guidance with contrast enhancement by one of the authors. After the ideal needle position was confirmed by biplanar fluoroscopy, the blood aspiration through the needle hub was evaluated, and a 3 ml mixture of nonionic contrast (2 ml) with normal saline (1 ml) was injected at a rate of 0.3-0.5 ml/sec continuously under real time fluoroscopic visualization. We then classified the contrast spreading pattern as neural, simultaneous neural and vascular, or vascular. Results: A total 71 cervical TEIs were performed. In 26 cases (36.6%), the contrast only spread to the nerve sheath. However, 45 cases (63.4%) showed an intravascular spreading pattern, 37 (52.1%) of which showed a neural and vascular pattern and 8 (11.3%) of which showed only a vascular pattern. Conclusions: Approximately two thirds of the cases of cervical TEI were found to lead to intravascular spreading, which is much higher than the incidence reported in previous studies.