DESPITE CLINICIANS’ INCREASED KNOWLEDGE in the last decade of the pathophysiology
and pharmacology of nociception, acute postoperative pain still remains a major problem.
1
Patients continue to report that their primary concern before surgery is the severity
of postoperative pain.
1
This is justified because a recent survey has revealed that 31% of patients suffered
from severe or extreme pain and another 47% from moderate pain.
1
Pain after thoracic surgery has been reported to be among the most intense clinical
experiences known.
2
Moderate-to-severe postoperative pain may persist throughout the course of hospitalization
and during the first postoperative month.
3
Unrelieved acute pain after thoracic surgery cannot only contribute to postoperative
pulmonary dysfunction
4
but also may contribute to the development of post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS).
5
,
6
,
7
,
8
Despite the identification of chronic postsurgical thoracic pain syndromes, little
is known about the underlying mechanisms, natural history, and response to therapy.
5
,
6
,
7
,
8
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 08, 2008
Footnotes
William C. Oliver, Jr, MD
Gregory A. Nuttall, MD
Section Editors
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
