Retrospective Investigation of Patients Diagnosed as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

• Published in: Orthopedics & Traumatology Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 1224 - 1228
• Main Authors: Fukushige, Tetsushi, Inoue, Akio, Nago, Masaru, Kano, Tatsuhiko, Yoshida, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: West-Japanese Society of Orthopedics & Traumatology 1998
• Subjects: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)Type-1; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD); Retrospective study
• ISSN: 0037-1033; 1349-4333
• DOI: 10.5035/nishiseisai.47.1224

Diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is not always easy in daily practice because of its complex features at each phase. The clinical diagnosis is currently apt to be abused in various institutions, especially in orthopaedic clinics. This situation prompted us to examine retrospectively the validity of diagnosis and efficacy of treatment in patients suffering from RSD. The subjects were 31 patients diagnosid as RSD in various institutions, and were referred to the Orthopaedic and Pain Clinic in Kurume University Hospital from April, 1988 to August, 1997. These patients were retrogradely re-evaluated by orthopedists and pain-clinic staffs with reference to the fiagnostic classification of the Gibbon's RSD score. Therapeutic efficacy was surveyed by questionnaires, including degree f patient satisfaction in daily activities. 24 patients were satisfied with the RSD criteria, and the remaining 7 patients were not. As for therapeutic efficacy, a high degree of patient satisfaction was obtained in patients first stage RSD. On the other hand, therapeutic efficacy was not remarkable in those with second and third stage RSD. From these results, we concluded that early diagnosis and treatment are particularly important and that additional psychological assistance is inevitable in patients with advanced stage RSD.