2005 Volume 25 Issue 5 Pages 560-563
A 69-year-old male was referred to our pain clinic because of aggravation of pain over the last 3 months, the pain being thought to be central pain syndrome in origin. He had a history of cerebral infarction 16 years ago and presented right hemiparalysis and aphasia. The evaluation and diagnosis was extremely difficult because of aphasia, but lumbar radiculopathy was diagnosed by adopting of modified interview and physical examination, using multiple questions which can be answered by choosing “yes” or “no” . The patient was successfully treated with right nerve root block (L5) and ketamine infusion. Modification of the medical interview and physical examination appears important in the patient with aphasia.
