Causalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy: In which way is the sympathetic nervous system involved?

doi:10.1016/0166-2236(85)90172-9

Trends in Neurosciences

Volume 8, 1985, Pages 471-477

https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-2236(85)90172-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Patients with partial lesions to main nerves in an extremity may develop a syndrome which is generally called reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This syndrome is characterized by pain, trophic changes of skin and subcutaneous tissues, and dysregulation of cutaneous blood flow and sweating. Blockade of the sympathetic activity to the lesioned extremity abolishes pain and trophic changes. Thus, it is believed that the sympathetic supply is involved in the generation and maintenance of this syndrome. In this article a hypothesis is proposed which explains most, but not all of these clinical phenomena. Important components of the hypothesis are first, regenerative and degenerative changes and an abnormal discharge pattern of the primary afferent neurones projecting in the lesioned nerve; second, a direct and/or indirect coupling between postganglionic and afferent activity and, third, a change of the information processing in the spinal cord which entails a change of the discharge pattern in the sympathetic supply to the lesioned extremity. These and other pathological mechanisms can be shown to exist in experiments on animals with experimental nerve lesions. However, we are far away from understanding how these different pathological components act together to produce the syndrome.

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Citation Excerpt :
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Trends in Neurosciences

PerspectivesCausalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy: In which way is the sympathetic nervous system involved?

Abstract

Pain

Neurosci. Lett.

Brain Res.

Exp. Neurol.

Exp. Neurol.

Brain Res.

Pain

J. Auton. Nerv. Syst.

Trends NeuroSci.

J. Auton. Nerv. Syst.

Pain

Lancet

Pain

Trends NeuroSci.

Pain

Pain

Brain Res. Rev.

The Autonomic Nervous System

Ergb. Physiol.

Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol.

Arzneim.-Forsch./Drug Res.

J. Comp. Neurol.

Nature (London)

Perspectives
Causalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy: In which way is the sympathetic nervous system involved?