Linked Life Data

15621384

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/15621384

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1-2
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-12-28
pubmed:abstractText
Cavernous hemangiomas (cavernomas) of the spinal cord are rare congenital malformations that comprise less than 5% of all intramedullary lesions. Despite this rarity, we describe the third case of central neuropathic itch associated with intramedullary cavernoma. Since fewer than 10 cases of central spinal itch from all causes have been published, this concurrence suggests the possibility of a specific association. A middle-aged man developed chronic disabling neuropathic itch and pain affecting his left shoulder and arm after frank hemorrhage of a midcervical cavernoma. We hypothesize that the relatively rostro-dorsal location of his lesion increased its likelihood of causing itch as well as pain. The microscopic pathology of cavernomas, specifically their gliotic rim containing hemosiderin-laden phagocytes, fosters ectopic firing of nearby neurons and makes cranial cavernomas highly epileptogenic. We hypothesize that these pathological features predispose cavernomas to cause central itch if they are located near, but spare, the central itch projection neurons in lamina I of the dorsal horn. Quisqualate injections into the deeper layers (neck) of the dorsal horns of rats produce pathologically similar lesions. Such rats develop unilateral dermatomal hyperalgesia and self-injurious scratching and biting (autotomy). Although this pathological grooming is currently interpreted as a response to chronic pain, we propose that it more likely models scratching provoked by central neuropathic itch, as seen in our patient and others. Study of quisqualate-injected rats may provide leads towards new treatments for neuropathic itch.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0304-3959
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
113
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
233-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2005-7-28
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Central neuropathic itch from spinal-cord cavernous hemangioma: a human case, a possible animal model, and hypotheses about pathogenesis.
pubmed:affiliation
Anesthesia, Neurology and Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Clinics 3, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports