Hoobler T.; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Physical Therapy, Birmingham, AL. Hooblert@uab.edu.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of phantom sensation and pain in a multinational population who had undergone removal of various body parts. BACKGROUND: The sense of a phantom part and/or pain following removal of the body part has been presented in scientific literature since Pare’ noted the phenomena in 1551. Discussion of the causative factors for the phenomena has been explored in various medically related communities. Incidence has ranged conservatively from the low 60’s to as high as 98 percent. Involvement with both civilian and military populations experiencing the phenomena has led the investigator to question this range. SUBJECTS: 116 patients were surveyed either in person, by mail out or email formats to determine the presence and persistence of a phantom body part and pain. Subjects ranged in age from 11 years to 68 years of age. Time since amputation ranged from 1.5 months to 50+ years. Nations involved included: Canada, Germany, Britain, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Holland and the United States. Body part removed included: lower extremity, upper extremity, breast, teeth and palate. METHODS: Subjects were questioned as to demographics and various aspects of the phantom part and/or pain. ANALYSIS: Chi Square Goodness of Fit, Range, Frequency, Median and Means were calculated from the available data. Presence of a phantom or pain is reported as a percent of the maximum. RESULTS: The study is ongoing but at the time of submission, percentage of subjects who reported a phantom body part was 99.14 %, irrespective of type of body part removed. Percentage of subjects who reported any type of phantom pain, at any time, was 97.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed a higher percentage and narrower range of subjects who admit to having phantom sensation than noted in available literature with 2001 or earlier publication dates. Email and mail out interviews were dependent on the subject’s consent and interest in sharing personal information even when anonymity was assured. Presence and persistence of a phantom was clear to all subjects, even those 10+ years since surgery. It should be noted that patients who responded via postal or email formats are likely interested in sharing their experiences and may not represent a general population. Further study concerning subjects with other than extremity amputation is ongoing and may reinforce explanations already available concerning the etiology of phantom sensation and pain. FUNDING SOURCE: none.

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