About Post Thalamic Syndrome

Post thalamic syndrome is a neuropathic condition caused when the thalamus -- that part of the brain which deals with 'sensations' -- is not healthy. The medical term for this disorder is Dejerine Roussy. For a person with this syndrome, even simple stimulation could bring excessive pain and sometimes the person would have no sensation at all. Popular synonyms of this diseases are posterior thalamic syndrome, retrolenticular syndrome, and central post-stroke syndrome.

Causes

• Generally, the cause for thalamic syndrome is vascular disorders (conditions related to the blood vessels). Particularly, infraction or damage to the thalamus can cause post thalamic syndrome. Strokes, bleeding in the brain, tumors, Parkinson's disease or trauma to the head are other acknowledged causes of post thalamic syndrome. There have also been cases of other uncommon causes including lesions on parts of the spinal cord, cerebral cortex, and brain stem.

Effects

• The greatest impact of post thalamic syndrome is on the patient's sense of position. Generally, the patient will not be able to sense or feel his limbs and their movements. Usually, there is also a chronic pain on one side of the body. There may also be an excessive loss of sensation on the surface skin, especially on the face, legs and arms.

  Another evident result of post thalamic syndrome is weakness on a particular side of the body. In severe cases, paralysis may even set in on one side of the body. Other symptoms of post thalamic syndrome include difficulty in speech, emotional overreaction, and abnormal movements of hands and legs. One may also have a tickling sensation, or excessive feelings of heat or cold on one side of the body. Usually the side of the body being affected is the one opposite to the side of the brain that is affected.

Treatments

• There is no single effective treatment for post thalamic syndrome. However, the usual oral medications include anti-depressants and pain killers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), but the results are quite limited. If one can bear side-effects, some powerful medications such as codeine or hydrocodone (Vicodyn) can be utilized, which provide some effective relief.

  There have been a few non-traditional procedures that have proven to be effective for treating post thalamic syndrome. These procedures include implanting pumps to help the medication go directly to the spinal canal and surgery on the areas of the thalamus which is designed to reduce the perception of pain.

Precautions

• Besides treatments and medications, one must avoid conditions or circumstances that can instigate pain or negate sensitivity. Some conditions that one must stay away from include:

  * Too much of movement or exercise
  * Excessive heat or cold
  *Situations that can become too emotional such as fear, stress, anger or depression
  *Exposure to vibrations such as ones that can occur while traveling in a car.
  *Exposure to air-conditioning or cold breezes

Diagnosis

• Once diagnosed for thalamic syndome, one must ensure whether there is any other condition that is causing this disorder. A neurological screening examination must be done to determine whether the pain is neuropathic or central.