CC BY 4.0 · J Neuroanaesth Crit Care 2023; 10(01): 021-030
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760271
Review Article

Post-craniotomy Pain: An Update

Navneh Samagh
1   Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, India
,
2   Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India
,
Ankita Dey
1   Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, India
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Approximately two-thirds of patients experience moderate to severe intensity pain following craniotomy. It is often undertreated due to fear of unfavorable side effects of commonly used analgesic drugs. The objectives of this review are to discuss the various aspects of acute and chronic post-craniotomy pain including its incidence, pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, preventive strategies, and management in adult patients. The data have been consolidated based on our literature search from 1978 to 2021 using various databases including Google Scholar, Medline, and PubMed Central. We conclude that one must act at the earliest using various treatment modalities for post-craniotomy pain management.



Publication History

Article published online:
24 April 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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