Comparison of Pain-Related Changes in Cerebral Blood Volume in Burn Patients With Neuropathic Pain

Prevalence of chronic pain has been shown to be high after thermal injury. Post-burn neuropathic pain causes chronic disabilities that is often difficult to treat effectively.

To study changes in the pain network associated with neuropathic pain, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) will be used to evaluate cerebral blood volume(CBV) in patients who was injuried by burn. Over the fifty participants will be recruited. The participants will be comprised 30 subjects with neuropathic pain caused by thermal injury and 20 healthy contols. The 30 patients with neuropathic pain will be comprised divided into 15 electrical injury group and 15 non-electrical burn injury group. The patients are included the patients with severe neuropathic pain that is rated at least 5 on the visual analogue scale (VAS), despite treatments with gabapentin medication and other physical modalities. The intensity of neuropathic pain will be measured using the visual analogue scale(VAS). Depressive mood will be assessed using the Beck Depression Scale. CBV maps will be compared between burn patients and controls. And the relationship between individual participant CBV(measured in voxels), BDS and VAS score will be also examined.