02270nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653002300054653001500077653000900092653002700101653001200128100001500140700002100155700001600176700001200192700001400204700001500218700001300233245010600246856005100352300001200403490000700415520158200422       2018                            d10aleprosy10aNeural compression10aNeuropathy10aPain10aPatient’s perception10aSurgery1 aKenedi MDT1 aFreitas Cabral E1 aNarahashi K1 aReis FJ1 aAcioly MA1 aKritski AL1 aGomes MK00aPain perception and functional limitation, assessed in the years after nerve decompression in leprosy  uhttps://leprosyreview.org/article/89/3/20-8218  a208-2180 v893 a<p>Introduction: Surgical decompression of peripheral nerve trunks is a widely recognised procedure in the management of leprosy-associated neuropathy in endemic areas. The purpose of this study is to explore patients’ perception in terms of pain and functional limitation after neural decompression surgery in leprosy. Methods: Fifty-three patients (87 surgeries) underwent peripheral nerve decompression surgery from 1999 to 2014 at our institution and were eligible for this study. Patients were interviewed with a semi-structured form and established questionnaires (DN-4, McGill Pain Questionnaire, visual analogue scale [VAS], and SALSA) and then physical impairments were assessed by physical examination. Some data were retrospectively retrieved from medical records for comparative analysis. Results: Surgery occurred with a mean time of 5·1 ^ 4·1 years, prior to the interview. Most (59%) patients had one operated limb and 38 (71·7%) declared complete resolution of pain after surgery. There was a 64% reduction in the use of analgesics and an 81% reduction in corticosteroid use. Postoperative chronic pain affected 15 patients (28·3%), mostly of neuropathic type (86·7%). The majority of&nbsp;patients were generally satisfied (87%) with the surgical results and 58·5% of subjects had mild or no functional limitation at the time of the interview. Conclusions: Patients had a positive experience after neural decompression surgery for leprosy-associated neuropathy in terms of reduced pain and functional limitation, and high levels of satisfaction.</p>