“Heart” is the first thought that arises in a person who feels chest pain. However, such a pain syndrome can be caused by any anatomical formations located in the chest (lungs, esophagus, etc.), as well as reflected pain in diseases of the pancreas, stomach and gallbladder. Most often, acute pain in the chest is caused by intercostal neuralgia, which is sometimes masked by oncological diseases.
Intercostal neuralgia occurs when the intercostal nerve is irritated or compressed (a consequence of trauma, osteoporosis, hypothermia, etc.). It can be both an independent disease and a manifestation of other ailments.
For independent intercostal neuralgia, acute unilateral pain is characteristic. Usually the patient clearly indicates its localization.
Pain in intercostal neuralgia is clearly associated with a change in body position, physical activity, as well as coughing, sneezing, deep breathing, etc. Often, intercostal neuralgia is accompanied by numbness, burning or pulsation.
However, it is important to remember that dangerous ailments can disguise themselves as this unpleasant, but rather harmless disease.
Heart attack
Pain in a cardiac accident may resemble intercostal neuralgia, but it is more often accompanied by shortness of breath, choking, nausea or vomiting, and blue skin. The main distinguishing feature is that the pain of a heart attack never goes away while taking nitroglycerin.
Oncological diseases
Specialists of the NMIC them. Blokhin faced a unique case. A patient was admitted to them, who was diagnosed with intercostal neuralgia by doctors at the place of residence, prescribed painkillers and sent home.
“Such treatment had an effect for a short time, since the pain syndrome disappeared for a while while taking analgesic drugs,” said aif.ru Oncologist, Department of General Oncology, National Medical Research Center of Oncology named after N.N. Blokhin Alexander Salkov. “Since the pain did not go away, the woman was sent for a CT scan, where she was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma.”
After the diagnosis was made, the woman underwent resection of the chest wall – sternum with replacement of the defect with an individual 3D implant.
This operation is recognized as one of the most difficult interventions in orthopedic oncology. The doctors of the Kashirka Oncology Center have accumulated the greatest experience in carrying out this procedure.
“Previously, for these types of chest wall tumors, titanium plates or other hard replacement methods were used, in which cement was placed between two soft meshes,” says Dr. Salkov. These methods often lead to complications. Since it was necessary to model the material to replace the defect directly during the operation, the duration of the surgical intervention increased significantly. The risk of infectious complications also increased. Since titanium plates and rigid replacement methods were not anatomical, breakage and detachment often occurred at the points of attachment and fixation of the plates together.
Individual implants are made according to the specific anthropometric characteristics of the patient. It takes about 2 weeks to make them. They can serve the patient for life.
Source: aif.ru
