A Case of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) Satisfactorily Treated with Uz-keishi-to / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

We encountered a patient with chronic pain due to reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) that was relieved by Uzu-keishi-to (Wu tou gui zhi tang) therapy. A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with RSD in 1995. Intractable pain of the extremities and trunk persisted despite several therapies such as spinal cord stimulation, local anesthetic blocks, and a variety of conventional medications. The patient was admitted to our hospital in June 2000, and was diagnosed as having stage II RSD. Thermography demonstrated that the left side of the back and the hand were lower in temperature than the corresponding areas of the right side. “Perfusion” images of three-phase bone scintigraphy showed a lower flow in the lower left extremity. Uzu-keishi-to was administered in addition to the Western medicines. After administration of Uzu-keishi-to, the pain was relieved and the value of the face scale decreased from 20 to 11. Moreover, after 16 weeks of Uzu-keishi-to therapy, the decreased blood flow on the left side of the body detected by thermography and three-phase bone scintigraphy increased to a level equal to that of the right side. Uzu-keishi-to is effective not only in reducing the intractable pain of RSD but also in preventing the development of “dystrophy.” Further evaluation of Uzu-keishi-to therapy for patients with RSD is warranted.