PainVision Apparatus Is Effective for Assessing Low Back Pain

Study DesignCase series.PurposeTo determine the utility of "PainVision" apparatus for the assessment of low back pain.Overview of LiteratureA newly developed device, the PainVision PS-2100 (Nipro, Osaka, Japan), has been used to assess the perception of pain in a quantitative manner. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PainVision for the assessment of low back pain.MethodsWe assessed 89 patients with low back pain. The numeric rating scale (NRS) score, McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) score and the degree of pain calculated by PainVision were measured twice at 4-week intervals in each patient. An electrode was patched on the forearm surface of the patients and the degree of pain was automatically calculated (degree of pain=100×[current producing pain comparable with low back pain-current at perception threshold/current at perception threshold]). Correlations between NRS and MPQ scores and the degree of pain were determined using Spearman's rank correlation test.ResultsThere was a strong correlation between the NRS and MPQ scores at each time point (rs=0.60, p<0.0001). The degree of pain also showed a moderate correlation with NRS and MPQ scores at each time point (rs=0.40, p<0.03). The change in the degree of pain over 4 weeks showed a moderate correlation with changes in the NRS and MPQ scores (rs=0.40, p<0.01).ConclusionsPainVision as self-reported questionnaires is a useful tool to assess low back pain

Physiologically decreased F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the lower vertebrae associated with daily drinking habit in Japanese men with alcohol flushing reaction.

Alcohol flushing reaction (AFR) is known as one of risks for esophageal squamous cell cancer and scientists have been elucidating this issue. However, little attention has been given to relevant imaging features. This study aims to investigate whether physiological F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake patterns in vertebrae are associated with drinking-habit or AFR. Japanese male patients who underwent FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography for evaluation of their known or suspected malignancy or inflammatory disease were asked about their drinking-habit and AFR. Altogether, 192 patients, 139 everyday-drinkers and 53 non-drinkers were evaluated. Comparing the FDG uptake between in the thoracic region and that in the lumbar region, vertebral uptake was visually classified into 4 patterns: Ld, dominant in lumbar region; TL, almost equal in both regions; BL, slightly higher in thoracic region (borderline pattern); Td, dominant in thoracic region. The uptake patterns were evaluated according to drinking-habit (everyday- or non-drinker), AFR (flusher or non-flusher) and the combination of these two factors (habit/reaction: everyday-drinker/flusher, everyday-drinker/non-flusher, non-drinker/flusher, or non-drinker/non-flusher). There were 95 flushers (51 everyday-drinkers and 44 non-drinkers) and 97 non-flushers (88 everyday-drinkers and 9 non-drinkers). Ld, TL, BL, and Td patterns were observed in 0, 109 (56.8%), 31 (16.1%), and 52 (27.1%) patients, respectively. Td and BL patterns were more frequently observed in everyday-drinkers compared with non-drinkers (p = 0.0467). Though the uptake patterns did not differ between in flushers and non-flushers (p = 0.116), Td pattern was more frequently observed in everyday-drinkers/flusher (51%) compared with everyday-drinkers/non-flusher (20.5%), non-drinker/flusher (13.6%), and non-drinker/non-flusher (22.2%) (p = 0.0014). Td pattern was observed in patients with various diseases, with higher frequency in esophageal cancer, head and neck cancer and lung cancer compared with other diseases. In conclusion, drinking-habit and AFR were related to the vertebral uptake pattern with decreased uptake in the lumbar region in Japanese male patients