The Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransference gene is not associated with long-term treatment outcomes in carpal tunnel syndrome: A randomized clinical trial.

DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of the Val158Met polymorphism with pain and function outcomes in women with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) who received surgery or manual therapy including desensitization manoeuvres of the central nervous system. METHODS: A pre-planned secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of manual therapy including desensitization manoeuvres of the central nervous system vs. surgery in 120 women with CTS was conducted. Women were randomized to receive 3 sessions of manual therapy (n = 60) or decompression of the carpal tunnel (n = 60). The primary outcome was intensity of pain (mean pain and the worst pain), and secondary outcomes included function and symptoms severity subscales of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the intervention. Rs4680 genotypes were determined after amplifying the Val158Met polymorphism by polymerase chain reactions. We classified subjects according to their Val158Met polymorphism: Val/Val, Val/Met, or Met/Met. The primary aim (treatment group*Val158Met*time) was examined with repeated measures ANCOVA with intention-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: At 12 months, 111 (92%) women completed the follow-up. No interaction was observed between the Val158Met genotype and any outcome: mean pain intensity (F = 0.60; P = 0.69), worst pain intensity (F = 0.49; P = 0.61), function (F = 0.12; P = 0.88) or symptom severity (F = 0.01; P = 0.98). CONCLUSION: The current clinical trial did not show an association between the Val158Met polymorphism and changes in pain and function outcomes after either surgery or physical therapy in women with CTS.

Pain Paroxysms With Coronal Radiation: Case Series and Proposal of a New Variant of Epicrania Fugax.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to report 4 patients with brief pain paroxysms whose clinical features remind of typical epicrania fugax (EF), except for the direction along a transverse trajectory. BACKGROUND: EF has been defined as a brief paroxysmal head pain, with stabbing quality, describing a linear or zig-zag trajectory across the surface of one hemicranium. METHODS: We considered all patients attending the headache outpatient office at 3 tertiary hospitals from March 2008 to December 2015. We identified a total of 4 cases with dynamic pain paroxysms moving in coronal direction. RESULTS: The mean age at onset was 49 years (range 34-75). All the patients suffered a dynamic pain from parietal or temporal areas to the contralateral ones, crossing the midline in a linear or zig zag trajectory, the entire sequence lasting 2-3 seconds. No triggers were identified. One patient noticed mild interictal tenderness at the stemming point. The frequency of the attacks varied from 2 per week to 1 every 2 months. No underlying disorders were identified by physical and neurological exams and neuroimaging and laboratory tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our patients presented with a paroxysmal head pain that might correspond to a transverse variant of EF. These observations may not only expand the EF phenotype but also reinforce the distinction between EF and pericranial neuralgias.

Dental diseases and radionuclide imaging of the jaws.

The aim of this study was to compare the results of radionuclide bone scans of the jaws with data obtained at the nuclear medicine department from a brief and feasible dental history, taking special account of cases with a positive scan and no recent dental events. Ninety-eight patients undergoing radionuclide bone scan as part of their diagnosis in non-dental, oncological and non-oncological diseases were imaged with 99mTc-labelled oxidronate. Superior and inferior halves of the mandible and maxilla (392 quadrants) were regarded as normal or having an abnormally high uptake. A recent (1 year) dental history was also obtained through a brief questionnaire and data were referred to each quadrant of the jaws. The association between the bone scan and dental disease was assessed by means of the chi-squared test. The overall results of scintigraphy and history coincided in 66 patients (46 with abnormal and 20 with normal findings; P = 0.002). Twenty-five patients had a positive scintigram without any known dental disorder. Results of scintigraphy and history coincided in 254 quadrants (78 with abnormal and 176 with normal findings; P < 0.001). Eighty-three quadrants had hot spots in the scintigram without any known dental lesion. It can be concluded that abnormal jaw scintigrams are frequent in patients without known dental disease, and this may indicate silent osteoblastic activity. These observations should be reported to the dentist for several reasons. First, they may reveal asymptomatic dental lesions. Second, the use of oral prostheses and implants is increasing and they require the support of healthy alveolar bone.