Characteristic cerebral structural changes identified using voxel-based morphometry in patients with post-surgical chronic myelopathic pain

Study Design Cross-sectional study. Objective Patients who undergo intramedullary spinal surgery occasionally experience post-surgical chronic pain; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet completely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the cerebral structural changes in patients with post-surgical chronic myelopathic pain using voxel-based morphometry. Setting Single university hospital in Tokyo, Japan. Methods Forty-nine patients who had undergone intramedullary spinal surgery between January 2002 and April 2014 participated in this study. Participants were classified into two groups based on their post-surgical chronic pain intensity: control (numeric rating scale score of