PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Chronic pain is an important cause of disability with a high burden to society. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a noninvasive multimodal method used to discriminate the function of nerve fibers. The aim of this study is to propose a new, reproducible, and less time-consuming thermal QST protocol to help characterize and monitor pain. Additionally, this study also compared QST outcomes between healthy and chronic pain subjects. Forty healthy young/adult medical students and fifty adult/elderly chronic pain patients were evaluated in individual sessions including pain history, followed by QST assessments divided into three proposed tests: pain threshold, suprathreshold, and tonic pain. In the chronic pain group, a significantly higher pain threshold (hypoesthesia) and a higher pain sensibility (hyperalgesia) were demonstrated at threshold temperature when compared to healthy participants. The sensitivity to the suprathreshold and tonic stimulus did not prove to be significantly different between both groups. The main results demonstrated that the heat threshold QST tests can be helpful in evaluating hypoesthesia and that the sensitivity threshold temperature test can demonstrate hyperalgesia in individuals with chronic pain. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the importance of using tools such as QST as a complement to detect changes in several pain dimensions.
摘要：
慢性疼痛是导致残疾的重要原因，对社会造成沉重负担。定量感觉测试（QST）是一种用于区分神经纤维功能的无创多模式方法。本研究的目的是提出一种新的,可重复,以及耗时较少的热QST协议，以帮助表征和监测疼痛。此外,本研究还比较了健康和慢性疼痛受试者的QST结局.40名健康的年轻/成人医学生和50名成人/老年慢性疼痛患者在个别会议中进行评估，包括疼痛史。接下来是QST评估，分为三个建议的测试：疼痛阈值，超阈值，和补品疼痛。在慢性疼痛组中，与健康参与者相比,在阈值温度下显示出较高的疼痛阈值(感觉减退)和较高的疼痛敏感性(痛觉过敏).两组之间对超阈值和强直刺激的敏感性没有显着差异。主要结果表明，热阈值QST测试可有助于评估感觉减退，而敏感性阈值温度测试可证明慢性疼痛个体的痛觉过敏。总之,本研究证明了使用QST等工具作为补充来检测多个疼痛维度变化的重要性.
