J. Wilier, T. Broucker, B. Bussel
Jul 1, 1989
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Influential Citations
137
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Quality indicators
Journal
Pain
Abstract
&NA; The aims of this study were:(1) to test the hypothesis of a central analgesic effect of the aspirin‐like drug ketoprofen(2) to attempt to differentiate between a spinal and a supraspinal mechanism in this possible central action. The threshold of the nociceptive flexion reflex from the biceps femoris muscle elicited by sural nerve stimulation was studied before and after a double‐blind, cross‐over and randomized intravenous injection of ketoprofen (100 mg in S ml saline) and saline (5 ml) in 2 groups of volunteers. The first one was composed of 10 normal subjects while the second consisted of 8 paraplegic patients with complete spinal section of traumatic origin. In normal subjects, ketoprofen injection resulted in a rapid and significant increase (+68%) of the threshold of the nociceptive reflex, while saline injection produced a slow increase of only 17% of this threshold. In contrast, in paraplegic patients, neither ketoprofen nor saline produced any significant change in the nociceptive reflex threshold. A supraspinal involvement in the central analgesic effect of this drug is discussed.