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Chronic pain assessment using heat beam dolorimetry.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Lipman, JJ; Blumenkopf, B; Parris, WCV
Published in: Pain
July 1987

The heat beam dolorimeter (HBD) was developed to evaluate cutaneous pain thresholds in humans. In the present study, the hypothesis that a patient's underlying pain status affects his pain tolerance to an incident HBD stimulus was tested. Twenty-seven chronic pain patients with a variety of clinical problems unresponsive to conventional algological therapy were scheduled for neurosurgical procedures. These patients were evaluated pre- and postoperatively by the HBD procedure. On initial testing, drug-free pain patients showed significantly higher pain tolerance thresholds than normal volunteers (P less than 0.02, Mann-Whitney U test). Postoperatively, incident pain tolerance thresholds in the HBD test were reduced from pre-surgical levels in these patients and were indistinguishable from the second evaluation latencies of volunteers (P greater than 0.05). Twenty-four of the 27 patients reported significant pain relief following surgery. Our results show that, in chronic pain patients, endogenous pain significantly affected incident pain perception in the HBD test when compared with the responses of normal pain-free volunteers. Consequently, HBD may be useful in objectively assessing chronic pain and its relief by neurosurgical procedures.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Pain

DOI

ISSN

0304-3959

Publication Date

July 1987

Volume

30

Issue

1

Start / End Page

59 / 67

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Sensory Thresholds
  • Reaction Time
  • Pain Measurement
  • Pain
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Hot Temperature
  • Female
  • Chronic Disease
 

Citation

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Lipman, J. J., Blumenkopf, B., & Parris, W. C. V. (1987). Chronic pain assessment using heat beam dolorimetry. Pain, 30(1), 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(87)90083-2
Lipman, Jonathan J., Bennett Blumenkopf, and Winston C. V. Parris. “Chronic pain assessment using heat beam dolorimetry.Pain 30, no. 1 (July 1987): 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(87)90083-2.
Lipman JJ, Blumenkopf B, Parris WCV. Chronic pain assessment using heat beam dolorimetry. Pain. 1987 Jul;30(1):59–67.
Lipman, Jonathan J., et al. “Chronic pain assessment using heat beam dolorimetry.Pain, vol. 30, no. 1, July 1987, pp. 59–67. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/0304-3959(87)90083-2.
Lipman JJ, Blumenkopf B, Parris WCV. Chronic pain assessment using heat beam dolorimetry. Pain. 1987 Jul;30(1):59–67.
Journal cover image

Published In

Pain

DOI

ISSN

0304-3959

Publication Date

July 1987

Volume

30

Issue

1

Start / End Page

59 / 67

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Sensory Thresholds
  • Reaction Time
  • Pain Measurement
  • Pain
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Hot Temperature
  • Female
  • Chronic Disease