Ann Clin Neurophysiol.  2022;24(2):35-45. 10.14253/acn.2022.24.2.35.

Diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome

• Kim YD

• KMID: 2535716
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14253/acn.2022.24.2.35

Abstract

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic regional pain disorder that most frequently affects the limbs. It is characterized by hyperalgesia, allodynia, edema, motor disturbance, and vasomotor instability, and typically occurs following surgery or trauma. In type-I CRPS there is no confirmed nerve injury, while peripheral nerve injury is present in type-II CRPS. The multifactorial pathophysiological etiology of CRPS includes inflammation, autoimmune responses, abnormal cytokine production, autonomic dysfunction, altered blood flow, psychological factors, and central cortical reorganization. There are no specific laboratory diagnostic tools for CRPS, and so it is diagnosed clinically. The Budapest criteria are currently the most-accepted diagnostic criteria.

Keyword

Complex regional pain syndrome; Reflex sympathetic dystrophy; Causalgia

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Hypothetical model of mechanisms interacting in the development of complex regional pain syndrome. PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder; CGRP, calcitonin-gene-related peptide; IL, interleukin; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.

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