Validation of the Greek Version of the DN4 Diagnostic Questionnaire for Neuropathic Pain

& AbstractBackground: The Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire(DN4) was developed by the French Neuropathic Pain Groupand is a simple and objective tool, primarily designed toscreen for neuropathic pain. The aim of our study is tovalidate the DN4 in the Greek language.Methods: The study was set up as a prospective observa-tional study. Two pain specialists independently examinedpatients and diagnosed them with neuropathic, nociceptive,or mixed pain, according to the International Association forthe Study of Pain (IASP) definitions. A third and a fourthphysician administered the DN4 questionnaire to thepatients.Results: Out of the 237 patients who met our inclusioncriteria and had identical diagnoses regarding the type ofpain, 123 were diagnosed with neuropathic, 59 with noci-ceptive, and 55 with mixed pain. Among patients withidentical diagnoses of neuropathic or nociceptive pain, usinga receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, thearea under the curve (AUC) was 0.92. A cutoff point of equalor greater than 4 resulted in a sensitivity of 93% and aspecificity of 78%. Among patients suffering from pain withneuropathic element (neuropathic or mixed pain) or painwith no neuropathic element (nociceptive pain), using a ROCcurve analysis, the AUC was 0.89. A cutoff point of equal orgreaterthan4resultedinasensitivityof89%andaspecificityof 78%.Conclusion: The Greek version of DN4 is a valid tool fordiscriminating between neuropathic and nociceptive painconditions in daily practice. &Key Words: pain, neuropathic, DN4, Douleur Neuropathi-que 4, validation, Greek