Predictors of spinal cord injury neuropathic pain: The role of QST

Abstract

Neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury (SCI) presents itself as different constellations of spontaneous and evoked types of pain. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is used to assess and quantify the sensory system by measuring altered perception or pain thresholds or stimulus-response relationships to standardized sensory stimuli. QST is used to address a variety of issues relevantto SCI neuropathic pain: pathophysiological mechanisms and predictors of SCI pain, modality-specific treatment effects and predictors of pain relief, and SCI pain phenotypes as part of a mechanism-based classification. © 2007 Thomas Land Publishers, Inc.