Influence of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms

BACKGROUND: Our aims in the present study were to estimate the influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life, and to determine which of these two variables has the most predictive power with respect to quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. METHODS: Chronic prostatitis-like symptoms were measured by the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. Of the 28,841 men aged 20 years who lived in the study community, 18,495 men (a response rate 64.1%) agreed to participate in the study. A total of 1057 men who complained of symptoms indicative of chronic prostatitis were included in the study. The influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life were determined using logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the predictive ability of each of these variables with respect to quality of life. RESULTS: Results from multivariate analysis showed that both pain and urinary symptoms were associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life, although pain contributed more to a reduced quality of life than urinary symptoms. Relative to men who experienced mild pain, men who experienced moderate pain had a 3.9-fold risk of poor quality of life (odds ratio [OR], 3.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.86-5.23; P < 0.001) and those who experienced severe pain had a 15.7-fold risk of reduced quality of life (OR, 15.68; 95% CI, 6.59-37.35; P < 0.001). Moderate urinary symptoms were associated with a 1.4-fold risk of bother (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01-1.99; P < 0.001) and severe urinary symptoms were associated with 2.4-fold risk (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.37-4.12; P < 0.001), relative to mild urinary symptoms. Comparison of the effects of pain and urinary symptoms showed that pain severity had the most predictive power for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact. The areas under the ROC curves for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact were 71.3%, 69.3% and 72.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Urinary symptoms and pain might be associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. In addition, our findings suggest that pain severity is the most influential variable for determining quality of life in this population.     

通用型脊柱内固定系统(GSS)在腰椎不稳症治疗中的近期疗效观察

目的 :观察GSS对腰椎节段性不稳的固定及治疗效果。方法 :2 0 0 2年 10月～ 2 0 0 3年 9月 ,对 2 5例腰椎不稳症患者。其中 ,男 9例 ,女 16例 ,运用椎板减压、椎管后外侧植骨融合、GSS椎弓根螺钉内固定系统治疗 ,随访 6～ 18个月 (平均 15 7个月 )。结果 :术前JOA评分平均 4 48分的 2 5例患者 ,随访时 14 5分 (P <0 0 1) ,术后 14个月内动态X线检查显示GSS椎弓根螺钉固定患者植骨融合率 10 0 % ,融合节段稳定 ,临床症状改善优良率 96 0 %。结论 :后路运用GSS行椎管后外侧植骨融合内固定对腰椎不稳症患者是一种安全、有效的术式 ,近期疗效满意     

Intradiscal Thermal Annuloplasty for Discogenic Pain: An Outcome Study

Objectives: Published studies of intradiscal thermal annuloplasty (IDTA) have shown at most 50% pain relief as an improved outcome with little focus on functional improvement in the treatment of discogenic pain. Previous studies have used a number of criteria for patient selection including low back pain unresponsive to conservative care, no compressive radiculopathy, positive provocative discography and absence of previous surgery at the same symptomatic level. The purpose of present study is to examine the hypothesis that additional inclusion criteria for patient selection such as disc height, absence of degenerative disc disease (DDD) in untreated discs, absence of herniated nucleus pulposus or lumbar canal stenosis may improve the outcome of treatment. Methods: In this prospective case‐series study additional criteria of patient selection were introduced, namely disc height of at least 50%, no lumbar canal stenosis, one or two levels of DDD, no evidence of nucleus pulposus herniation on magnetic resonance image. Thirty‐four patients were enrolled in the study and 32 of them were followed over a period of 12 months. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and seven activities of daily living (ADLs) were followed and reported on a scale from 0 to 10. Results: Sustained decrease of the VAS pain scores was observed from 3 to 12 months following IDTA. ADLs improved in all patients between 3 and 12 months post‐treatment. Patients in the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) group had a higher VAS score but showed the same level of improvement in ADLs as compared to commercial insurance or self‐pay patients. In the non‐BWC patient group an average VAS pain score decrease of more than 6 points on a 10‐point scale was reported at 6 to 12 months following IDTA. Conclusions: We found dramatic improvement of pain scores and ADLs following IDTA when strict patient selection was applied. We believe that IDTA is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for discogenic pain in properly selected patients.     

A Complication of Stellate Ganglion Block?

Abstract: Stellate ganglion block is commonly used to treat the sympathetically maintained pain which may occur in one‐third of patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1. A complication that followed a single block and presented a diagnostic dilemma for the ophthalmologist is reported.     

A literature review exploring how healthcare professionals contribute to the assessment and control of postoperative pain in older people

Little research has examined the care older people receive in the acute surgical setting. Although pain assessment and management are judged to be a priority in nursing, often pain, in older people, is undermanaged for a variety of reasons. Factors such as stoicism, communication and ageism can shape both the patients’ and nurses’ attitude towards the perception of pain which subsequently affects pain management. Through a review of the literature, this paper aims to: (i) identify how healthcare professionals contribute to the assessment and control of postoperative pain in older people and (ii) explore potential barriers to achieving more advantageous pain control in this group. It is suggested that to improve pain management there is a need to individualize pain assessment for older people and to assist clinicians with enhancing their education and decision‐making abilities in this field. This may best be achieved by supporting a programme of change to develop the skills of staff and encouraging learning through reflective practice. There is however a need for further research in this area.     

Short term correlates of the Neuro Emotional Technique for cancer-related traumatic stress symptoms: A pilot case series

Introduction As many as one quarter of all cancer survivors report traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences. While the majority of these patients do not meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is growing evidence that subsyndromal symptoms can significantly contribute to functional impairment and negative health outcomes. Treatment options for the hallmark symptoms of traumatic stress—unpleasant, intrusive thoughts and avoidant behaviors—have not been well investigated for the cancer survivorship population. Materials and methods Seven female cancer survivors with traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences and no other major psychopathology, were enrolled to receive three sessions of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET), a brief, targeted treatment that combines traditional desensitization principles with complementary modalities. Results Psychological outcome measures (Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) and physiological measures (Heart Rate (HR) and Skin Conductance Level (SCL) demonstrated the following changes: 71% on IES, 88% SUD, 74% on HR, and 65% on SCL following the intervention. Statistically significant changes were observed for all four parameters, and effect size g for proportion improved were 0.50 each for IES, SUD, and HR, and 0.20 for SCL. Conclusions These cases suggest feasibility of the NET intervention for cancer-related traumatic stress and the potential for change in symptoms and physiological reactivity. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific and long-term effects of such an approach. Implications for cancer survivors Traumatic stress from cancer-related experiences might represent a constellation of symptoms that are amenable to brief, targeted interventions. This study was supported by the O.N.E. Research Foundation     

腰椎全板减压术后顽固下腰痛的原因分析

[目的]分析腰椎全板切除术后残留下腰痛的原因,指导选择合理的手术方法。[方法]回顾分析1996～2000年作者采用全椎板切除减压治疗的腰椎管狭窄症患者临床资料,69例获得5年以上随访的患者作为本组研究对象,使用日本骨科学会(JOA)标准对患者的神经功能和下腰痛程度进行评分,根据手术前后下腰痛程度的变化将病例分为无残存下腰痛(lowbackpain,LBP)组和残存LBP组,针对术前的临床和影像学参数,使用软件包SPSS13.0进行对数回归分析,确定术后残存下腰痛的临床预测因素,并对这些影响因素进行两组间比较和统计分析。[结果]术前腰椎前突角、腰椎活动度和手术减压范围与术后残存下腰痛密切相关。残存LBP组患者术前腰椎生理前突和活动度分别为(22.27°±3.12°)和(22.91°±2.31°),显著低于无残存LBP组患者的腰椎前突和活动度(37.23°±2.19°)和(31.66°±1.52°),P值分别为0.000和0.002;而残存LBP组的减压节段(2.77±0.19节)明显高于无残存LBP组(1.70±0.10节),P值为0.000。[结论]对于术前腰椎前突减小,腰椎活动度下降的椎管狭窄症患者单纯施行多节段的腰椎全板减压容易导致术后顽固性下腰痛的出现,应引起作者重视。     

自控止痛泵在疼痛治疗中的应用

介绍了自控止痛泵在临床各种类型疼痛病人治疗中的应用 ,研究了最佳给药途径、注药模式及常见的不良反应 ,为临床正确用药提供了帮助。     

腹腔镜胆囊切除术不同压力CO2气腹对气腹存留时限及肩部疼痛的影响

目的 探讨腹腔镜胆囊切除术(laparoscopic cholecystectomy,LC)不同压力CO2气腹对气腹存留时限及肩部疼痛的影响,探讨LC术后气腹存留时限的影响因素及肩部疼痛的原因.方法 2002年4～10月连续观察69例LC,随机分为A、B、C 3组,每组23例.气腹压力设定A组10mm Hg,B组12mm Hg,C组14mm Hg.对69例LC术后进行连续胸部X线平片观察膈下游离气体,测量术后24h两侧膈下游离气体的长、高并计算残气量.采用视觉模拟评分(vision analogue score,VAS)观察3组术后1、3、6、12、24、48、72、96、120h肩部疼痛程度.结果 LC后气腹存留时限为(1.8±1.1)d,男女组气腹存留时限分别为(1.8±1.1)d和(1.7±1.0)d,2组比较无显著意义(H=0.013,P=0.911).3组术后24h膈下残气量及术后气腹存留时限差异无显著性(P＞0.05).逐步回归分析示lg(气腹存留时限)与术后24h膈下残气量呈正相关(r=0.616,P=0.006),与气腹时间呈负相关(r=-0.228,P=0.014),与年龄、体重、身高、手术时间及所用气体量无相关性.术后26例出现肩部疼痛,随着A、B、C 3组气腹压力的增高,发生肩部疼痛患者的VAS评分明显增高(F=9.635, P=0.000),术后24h肩部疼痛VAS评分与术后24 h右侧膈下残气量呈正相关(r=0.333,P=0.005),与气腹存留时限呈正相关(r=0.296,P=0.014).结论 LC术毕尽量将腹腔内CO2气体排净可缩短术后残气吸收时间.不同压力CO2气腹对LC术后残余的CO2气体量及气腹存留时限无明显影响.LC后肩部疼痛程度随气腹压增高有明显加重趋势,人工气腹引起膈肌的张力可能是造成肩部疼痛的重要原因.