The Clinical Study Of Quantitative Thermal Threshold In The Diagnosis Of Neuropathic Pain

Objective: To explore the clinical value of quantitative thermal threshold in the diagnosis of neuropathic pain.Methods: Four hundred and sixty-two patients with clinically diagnosed NP were examined by QTT,including 120 cases of herpes zoster(HZ),65 cases of postherpetic neuralgia(PHN),77 cases of trigeminal neuralgia(TN),and 200 cases of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation(LDH)with nerve root pain.The symmetrical parts of the healthy side and the affected side were detected by QTT,including warm sensory threshold(WST),cold sensory threshold(CST),heat pain threshold(HPT),and cold pain threshold(CPT).The results of WST,CST,HPT and CPT in the affected side and healthy side of all patients were statistically processed,and the relationship between the results and the course of disease and NRS score was analyzed.Results: The CST and CPT in the affected side of HZ and PHN patients were lower than those in the healthy side,while WST and HPT were higher,and there were significant difference(P < 0.01).CST and CPTin the affected side of TN patients were lower than those in the healthy side,WST was higher(P < 0.05),HPT was higher,but there was no significant difference(P > 0.05).There was no significant difference in CST,WST,CPT and HPT between the affected side and the healthy side in LDH patients with nerve root pain(P > 0.05).Among the patients with HZ,PHN and TN,there were significant differences in the results of QTT between the affected side and the healthy side(P < 0.05)in different stages of the course of disease and in different grades of NRS scores,and CST and CPT were more sensitive,showing that the affected side was lower than the healthy side.Conclusion: QTT can make early diagnosis of NP and quantitatively evaluate the nerve injury of NP patients.It can improve the diagnostic rate of NP and provide a new auxiliary diagnostic method for clinical diagnosis of NP.