Postherpetic neuralgia, the most feared complication of acute herpes zoster, may agonize the pain clinician because the appropriate management of intractable pain can fail inspite of various and prolonged therapeutic techniques.
Of all patients with...
Postherpetic neuralgia, the most feared complication of acute herpes zoster, may agonize the pain clinician because the appropriate management of intractable pain can fail inspite of various and prolonged therapeutic techniques.
Of all patients with herpes zoster. approximately 5-10% will develop postherpetic neuralgia. Postherpetic neuralgia is very rare in young patient but very common in patients over 60. In other words, the older, the highter incidence.
In our pain clinics, 13 postherpetic neuralgic patients were treated with sympathetic blocks, local infiltration with local anesthetics and steroids, TEN S, Laser and various drugs including antiderpres- sant.
The results of management of pain in 13 patrents were as follows.
l. Excellent pain control:4(30.8%)
2. Good pain control:3(23.0%)
3. Fair pain control:2(15.4%)
4. No effect :4(30.8%)