An overview of diagnosis and assessment methods for neuropathic pain

Gianfranco De Stefano; Andrea Truini

doi:10.1016/j.lpm.2024.104234

An overview of diagnosis and assessment methods for neuropathic pain

Presse Med. 2024 Apr 16:104234. doi: 10.1016/j.lpm.2024.104234. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Gianfranco De Stefano¹, Andrea Truini²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
² Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: andrea.truini@uniroma1.it.

PMID: 38636786
DOI: 10.1016/j.lpm.2024.104234

Abstract

Neuropathic pain, defined as pain arising as a consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system, requires precise diagnostic assessment. Different diagnostic tools have been devised for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain. This review offers insights into the diagnostic accuracy of screening questionnaires and different tests that investigate the somatosensory nervous system, in patients with suspected neuropathic pain. Thus, it illustrates how these tools can aid clinicians in accurately diagnosing neuropathic pain.

Keywords: contact heat-evoked potentials; laser-evoked potentials; neuropathic pain; quantitative sensory testing; skin biopsy.