• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.279-282
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• 1996

A 45-year-old male received cervical continuous epidural block for posterior neck pain radiating to right upper extremity secondary to cervical herniated nucleus pulposus. Three days after epidural catheterization, fever, radicular pain and weakness of both upper extremities were developed. On admission, his temperature was $38.3^{\circ}C$ and showed progressive weakness and numbness in both upper and lower extremities. Cervical epidural abscess was suspected; MRI showed an epidural abscess from C4 to C7 level. Within 24 hours of admission, surgical decompression and drainage was effected. Culture of pus obtained at the lesion yielded Staphylococcus aureus. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics for 7 weeks resulting marked improvement of neurologic signs and symptoms.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.270-273
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• 1997

Caudal epiduroscopy has been introduced as an alternative technique for direct injection of epidural steroid and lysis of adhesion. Futher, it gives a better understanding of the role of epidural adhesion in recurrence of sciatica and low back disorder after surgery. We experienced a clinical application of flexible fiberoptic epiduroscope inserted through the sacral canal. A 37-year-old woman was suffering from right lumbar radiculopathy after an operation for a herniated disc. A series of volumetric caudal steroid injections and physical therapy had little effect on her symptoms. Patient was thought to be a good candidate for epiduroscopy. Flexible flberoptic epiduroscopy was as follows: 60 ml of normal saline irrigation and epidurogram, 40 mg of triamcinolone in 10m1 of normal saline was directed around right L5 nerve root. The following morning, patient reported reduced pain in her leg.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.371-373
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• 1995

Percutaneous retrogasserian gangliolysis is suitable for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia because it is simple and effective. Further, it can avoid severe complications such as anesthesia dolorosa or dysesthesia that may develop after surgical procedure. However we have experienced an anesthesia dolorosa(pain in an area or region that is anesthetic) after percutaneous retrogasserian glycerol injection. This deafferentation pain is characterized by scratching, burning or itching sensation; and has shown to be of higher incidence in older and inemotionally unstable patients. Anesthesia dolorosa is relatively rare but difficult to treat. Consideration should be made for the complication which may develop during the procedure.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.246-249
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• 1999

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is defined as the persistence of pain after recovery from herpes zoster (HZ), when the rash has healed, usually after about 4 weeks. PHN is the most feared complication of herpes zoster and remains one of the most common and intractable chronic pain disorders. Recent evidence has shed some light on the possible mechanism of pain, and on the prophylactic and treatment approaches to PHN, but there is no secure therapy. This report is a case of a 70-year-old male with PHN, affecting the 8th to 10th thoracic dermatomes. Patient complains of allodynia and hyperalgesia on the affected skins. After sympathectomy, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, and capsaicin ointment application, much pain relief was achieved, but allodynia remained at the subcostal area about $7\times3 cm^2$ in size. We decided to remove the painful area. Skin excision was done under local anesthesia. After skin excision, the pain was decreased and patient did not complain of pain for 10 months.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.224-231
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• 2000

Background: Currently, the number of patients visiting pain clinics is increasing with the augmented concerns of the patients about management of pain. We conducted this study in order to comprehend the characteristics of the patients visiting pain clinics and to find a method to further raises the public's awareness about pain treatment. Methods: We surveyed 497 new patients who had visited pain clinic of Kyungpook national university hospital from August 1998 to July 1999. We analysed these patients about their age, sex, chief complaint, duration of pain complaints, resident district, educational level and route of visiting pain clinic by use of questionnaire. Results: In age distribution, the largest proportion (29.8%) were in their 60's. Low back pain was the most common chief complaint (33.0%), the highest (43.7%) percentage of patients had complained of pain for over 6 months. Two thirds of the patients lived in urban area. Patients who were educated to only elementary school level made up the largest group with 35.3%. Referrals from former patients who had visited our pain clinic and had received treatment. Conclusions: As increasing patients who have pain complaints are related to social advanced age, it is prudent to consider the characteristics of age related pain complaints. And we have to guide the pain patients to have more earlier treatments using mass media because there is still insufficient general information about pain clinic and pain managements.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.89-93
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• 1989

We performed the autologous epidural blood patch (AEBP) for the relief of headache and other related symptoms following dural punctures of the lumbar region during 8 years from 1981 to 1988. The total of 37 patients with the patching consisted of 9 cases in 3007 of spinal anesthesia, 12 accidental dural punctures in 4283 cases of lumbar epidural anesthesia, 12 cases in 4747 of epidural analgesia for back pain control, 3 cases of myelography and a case of diagnostic lumbar puncture. The headaches were relieved completely in 35 cases following the first AEBP and the remaining two were also relieved following the second AEBP. We think that the AEBP for postdural-puncture headache is the treatment of choice.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.249-257
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• 1992

It is general knowledge that knee joint pain can be attributed to trauma and degenerative change around the knee joint. However most patients who have suffered from pain or limited range of motion of the knee joint show no definite pathology on X-ray or laboratory examination. We examined 242 patients with knee joint pain and found compression or entrapment of the articular nerve fiber by the tissue around the knee joint resulted in pain in almost all cases. Conclusion: by relieving the compression of the articular nerve fiber with just physical therapy and LASER stimulation on the identified trigger points, in conjunction with NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, were found to be very effective in the treatment of knee joint pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.304-307
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• 1997

Continuous epidural infusion, a combination of local anesthetic and opioid, have been widely administered for treatment of chronic cancer pain. A serious complications of epidural block is paraplegia which can also be caused by : direct spinal cord injury, epidural hematoma, epidural abscess, ischemic change, neurotoxicity, preexisting disease. Continuous epidural block for pain control of patient with cervical cancer was performed at $T_{12}/L_1$ interspace. A 4 cm catheter was inserted cephalad into the epidural space. After four months, back pain and motor weariless of lower extremities progressively developed. Spine CT showed bony destruction and soft mass-like lesion at $T_9$ & $T_{12}$ spine. We propose paraplegia was caused by spinal cord compression which resulted from vertebral metastasis of cervical cancer.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 2005

Migraine is a disabling headache that can occur with or without aura. We present here a case of migraine that was effectively managed by a series of cervical epidural blocks. A 41-year-old woman who had suffered from severe headache on her left temporal area for 12 years visited our pain clinic. Her 11-point numeric pain rating scale was 10 out of 10 at the first visit and the symptoms were associated with homonymous visual disturbances, paresthesia on the left face, shoulder and arm, and general weakness. For the first 5 years after the headaches began, her headache was relatively well controlled by acetaminophen; after then, the acetaminophen wasn't effective. After wandering from this hospital to the next one in search of relief, she managed to visit our pain clinic. We tried several blocks including cervical epidural block, and she was continuously medicated with sumatriptan. Her headache was gradually relieved. Now, her 11-point numeric rating scale is 1-2 out of 10 at the most during her headache attacks.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 1992