11.11.10 - Doctoral degree of Monique van Rijn
Recently Monique van Rijn has taken her Ph D on a thesis which describes the results of several studies on movement disorders in patients with CRPS.
The objectives of the thesis were:
1. To study the clinical characteristics and disease course of patients with CRPS in multiple extremities and of CRPS patients with movement disorders, in particular dystonia.
2. To study the neurophysiologic and neuroradiological characteristics of dystonia in CRPS.
3. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intrathecal baclofen treatment for dystonia of CRPS.
Conclusions
The results of the research presented in this thesis provide arguments for changes at both spinal and supraspinal level. Maladaptive neural plasticity likely is an important mechanism underpinning the movement disorders that may occur in CRPS. The presence of disturbances at multiple levels of the central nervous system in dystonia of CRPS parallels recent hypotheses on the underlying mechanisms suggested for other types of dystonia. Finally, the study on intrathecal baclofen administration in patients with CRPS and dystonia showed marked improvement of dystonia and pain scores after one year.