A Case of Thigh Stump Pain with Unidentified Complaints

Cha, Young Deog; Kim, Il Ho; Kim, Yu Jae; Kim, Chun Sook; Ahn, Ki Rhang; Park, Wook; Kim, Sung Yell

Abstract

This is a study of decrease in both stump pain and unidentified complaints after removal of neuroma on an amputated left thigh. The patient was a 44 year old woman who received an operation after a motorcycle accident 20th of March, 1991. She started a rehabilitation program in early June of the same year. How ever the patient complained of a squeezing pain on the amputated area. This symptom became more severe after the removal of the nails in September. The pain was perceived as a mental problem and the patient was released from the previous hospital. The pain continued and on the 9th of March, 1992, the patient was introduced to our pain clinic. The patient complained about the cold sensation and pressure pain of the amputated area at the beginning. Later she also expressed various unidentified complaints. No improvement resulted after conducting an epidural block and a lumbar sympathetic ganglion block. MMPI test showed psychological instability. Local injection showed some positive effects, which led to considerations concerning the possibility of neuroma. After confirming the existence of neuroma through CT and MRI, neuromectomy was performed. After the removal of neuroma, the unidentified complaints as well as the stump pain decreased.