INTRODUCTIONComplex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) patients show impaired visuospatial perception in the dark, as compared to normal patients with acute nociceptive pain. The purpose of this study is 2-fold: (i) to ascertain whether this distorted visuospatial perception is related to the chronicity of pain, and (ii) to analyse visuospatial perception of CRPS in comparison with another neuropathic pain condition.

MATERIALS AND METHODSWe evaluated visual subjective body-midline (vSM) representation in 27 patients with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and 22 with CRPS under light and dark conditions. A red laser dot was projected onto a screen and moved horizontally towards the sagittal plane of the objective body-midline (OM). Each participant was asked to direct the dot to a position where it crossed their vSM. The distance between the vSM and OM was analysed to determine how and in which direction the vSM deviated.

RESULTSUnder light condition, all vSM judgments approximately matched the OM. However, in the dark, CRPS patients, but not PHN patients, showed a shifted vSM towards the affected side.

CONCLUSIONWe demonstrated that chronic pain does not always impair visuospatial perception. The aetiology of PHN is limited to the peripheral nervous system, whereas the distorted visuospatial perception suggests a supraspinal aetiology of CRPS.

Adult ; Aged ; Complex Regional Pain Syndromes ; complications ; etiology ; Darkness ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; complications ; Perceptual Disorders ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Peripheral Nervous System ; physiopathology ; Task Performance and Analysis

Analgesics, Opioid ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; therapeutic use ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Disease Management ; Humans ; Pain, Intractable ; drug therapy ; physiopathology

Child ; Edema ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Emphysema ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Ethmoid Bone ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; Eyelid Diseases ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Orbit ; diagnostic imaging ; Orbital Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Radiography ; Skull ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Skull Fractures ; complications ; diagnostic imaging

Adult ; Aortic Valve ; diagnostic imaging ; Coronary Angiography ; instrumentation ; methods ; Fibroma ; diagnostic imaging ; Heart Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Heart Valve Diseases ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Incidental Findings ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; instrumentation ; methods ; Ultrasonography

Aged ; Brain Diseases ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Frontal Lobe ; pathology ; surgery ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Male ; Mucocele ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Paranasal Sinus Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Syndrome

Acute Disease ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Pancreatitis ; diagnosis ; pathology

Female ; Gynecology ; Health Care Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Physical Examination ; ethics ; methods ; standards ; Sex Factors ; Sexual Harassment ; legislation & jurisprudence ; prevention & control ; statistics & numerical data ; Singapore ; Students, Medical

Aged ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Granulosa Cell Tumor ; secondary ; surgery ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; secondary ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Pelvic Floor ; Pelvic Neoplasms ; secondary ; Time Factors

Adolescent ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Behavior Therapy ; Central Nervous System Stimulants ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Humans ; Methylphenidate ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTIONBladder cancer is a common malignancy but presentation with metastatic disease is rare. This is the fi rst reported case of duodenal obstruction as a presentation of metastatic bladder cancer.

CLINICAL PICTUREA middle-aged woman presented with nausea, vomiting, weight loss and intermittent haematuria. Radiology and histology confirmed metastatic bladder cancer to the retroperitoneum encasing the duodenum and causing obstruction.

TREATMENTInsertion of a duodenal stent relieved the obstruction and palliative chemoradiotherapy was initiated.

OUTCOMEThe patient died 15 months after diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONSClinicians and radiologists should be aware of atypical presentations of common malignancies.

Adult ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Duodenal Obstruction ; diagnosis ; etiology ; surgery ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; secondary ; Stents ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology