Another Nightmare After the Earthquake - Phantom Pain in Children.

Background: Phantom pain is a common condition that occurs after both upper and lower extremity amputations. The most common causes of amputation in the pediatric population are trauma, cancer, and congenital amputations. For trauma-related amputations, recorded prevalence of phantom pain is 12% and 83%. We aimed to present the frequency of phantom pain in patients hospitalized in our hospital after Pazarcık earthquake due to amputation. Material and Methods: Children aged 0-18 years with extremity amputations due to trauma followed in Ankara Etlik City Hospital after Pazarcık earthquake were included in the study. Data were obtained from the patient files and hospital records. All patients were evaluated daily for Phantom sensation or Phantom pain in a standardized fashion. The severity, time and character of the pain were questioned in patients with Phantom pain. Results and Discussion: Nineteen patients with traumatic amputation were included in the study. Demographic values and amputation sites are shown in Table I and II. In the follow-up of the patients at the end of one month; Phantom sensation and Phantom pain was detected in 16 (88.9%) and 11 (61.1%) patients respectively (Table III). The lower extremity rate in traumatic amputations has been reported to be 80-85% in the literature, as in our results. Wilkins et al found the incidence of Phantom pain to be 48.5% in children aged 8-18 who underwent traumatic amputation. However, we found a higher incidence (61.1%) in our patients. This high incidence may be due to the fact that we started to follow patients immediately after they were admitted to the hospital. Conclusion: Phantom sensation and Phantom pain are seen with considerable frequency after traumatic amputation in children. It may be valuable to evaluate the treatment plan in the early period and to improve the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]