[Neurogenic pain after deafferentation through trauma. Little-known pain syndrome following amputation, brachial plexus injury and nerve root avulsion].

Abstract

Amputations may be followed by such phenomena as phantom-limb pain, and pain and involuntary movements of the stump. The sequelae of brachial plexus injuries or cervical root avulsion--the second large group of deafferentiation lesions associated with neurogenic pain--are less varied, and most of these cases involve damage to the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord. The two groups of deafferentiation lesions are described on the basis of our own experience and reports in the literature. A generally applicable effective form of treatment is not known, and possible therapeutic approaches, which need to be adapted individually, are discussed.