Diagnostic tools for neuropathic pain

Abstract

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a kind of chronic, severe and persistent pain syndrome. Due to the underlying mechanisms, the treatment for NP differs from that of nociceptive pain. An accurate diagnosis of NP is very important. However, the present diagnostic process which mainly depends on clinical and neurophysiological assessments is quite time-consuming and low efficient. In recent years, various screening tools and drug efficacy assessments for NP have been developed and validated. They become very useful in the diagnosis and treatment of NP, as well as in epidemiological study. These tools are also very useful in elucidating the underlying mechanism of NP.