Chronic post-surgical pain is a common, under-recognized and important clinical problem which affects millions of patients worldwide. It results from a series of neuroplastic changes associated most commonly with peripheral nerve injury at the time of surgery. Predisposing factors include the type of surgery, pre-operative and acute post-operative pain intensity, and probably psychological (e.g. pain-catastrophizing) and genetic factors [e.g. GCH1 (GTP cyclohydrolase 1) haplotype]. Preventive measures which are currently available include selection of a minimally invasive surgical technique and an aggressive multimodal perioperative analgesic regimen. Very promising therapeutic agents which target the sensitization process are currently in development.
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February 2009
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Conference Article|
January 20 2009
When pain after surgery doesn't go away…
Siún Burke;
Siún Burke
1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland, and University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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George D. Shorten
George D. Shorten
1
1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland, and University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email shorteng@shb.ie).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
September 30 2008
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society
2009
Biochem Soc Trans (2009) 37 (1): 318–322.
Article history
Received:
September 30 2008
Citation
Siún Burke, George D. Shorten; When pain after surgery doesn't go away…. Biochem Soc Trans 1 February 2009; 37 (1): 318–322. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0370318
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