Complex regional pain syndrome acceptance and the alternative denominations in the medical literature

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the use of the term 'complex regional pain syndrome' in the medical literature and evaluate whether or not the traditional names 'reflex sympathetic dystrophy' and 'causalgia' have already been replaced with the new terms 'complex regional pain syndrome type I' and 'complex regional pain syndrome type II', respectively.

Materials and methods: The Scopus and PubMed databases were searched for reports written between 2001 and 2012 for the following descriptors in the titles: 'complex regional pain syndrome', 'complex regional pain syndrome type I', 'complex regional pain syndrome type 1', 'complex regional pain syndrome type II', 'complex regional pain syndrome type 2', 'CRPS', 'CRPS type I', 'CRPS type 1', 'CRPS type II', 'CRPS type 2', 'reflex sympathetic dystrophy', 'algodystrophy', 'algoneurodystrophy', 'causalgia', 'transient osteoporosis', 'Sudeck', and 'shoulder-hand syndrome'.

Results: Systematization of the 1,318 articles found yielded the following: 953 (72.31%) articles for the descriptor 'complex regional pain syndrome' and a further 94 (7.13%) for its abbreviation 'CRPS'; 180 (13.66%) for 'reflex sympathetic dystrophy'; 33 (2.50%) for 'shoulder-hand syndrome'; 29 (2.20%) for 'algodystrophy'; 13 (0.99%) for 'causalgia'; 13 (0.99%) for 'Sudeck'; 2 (0.15%) for 'algoneurodystrophy', and 1 (0.08%) for 'transient osteoporosis'. The total number of articles using new terminology represents 1,047 (79.44%) of all articles.

Conclusion: The new neutral term 'complex regional pain syndrome' was most commonly used and will likely replace the traditional names 'reflex sympathetic dystrophy' and 'causalgia'. The new terminology is now widely accepted by the medical professionals who are mostly engaged in the treatment of CRPS patients, but not yet so in other medical spheres.