Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol

Introduction There are no validated paediatric-specific diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). As a result, diagnostic tools developed for adults (eg, Budapest Criteria, Japanese Diagnostic Criteria, Veldman Criteria) are frequently applied in the paediatric population. Howev...

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Main Authors: Julia Wager, Lorenzo Fabrizi, Rebecca Lee, Helen Koechlin, See Wan Tham, Lisa-Marie Rau, Navil Firoze Sethna, Elisabeth Mueller Nylander
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-05-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/5/e101963.full
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author Julia Wager
Lorenzo Fabrizi
Rebecca Lee
Helen Koechlin
See Wan Tham
Lisa-Marie Rau
Navil Firoze Sethna
Elisabeth Mueller Nylander
author_facet Julia Wager
Lorenzo Fabrizi
Rebecca Lee
Helen Koechlin
See Wan Tham
Lisa-Marie Rau
Navil Firoze Sethna
Elisabeth Mueller Nylander
author_sort Julia Wager
collection DOAJ
description Introduction There are no validated paediatric-specific diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). As a result, diagnostic tools developed for adults (eg, Budapest Criteria, Japanese Diagnostic Criteria, Veldman Criteria) are frequently applied in the paediatric population. However, the clinical presentations and trajectories of children can differ from adults. Given that treatment outcomes are linked to early diagnosis and intervention, the lack of paediatric-specific screening or diagnostic tools is an important knowledge gap. We aim to identify the frequency of individual criteria used in diagnosing CRPS in children and adolescents in existing literature, summarise assessment methods used to establish the diagnosis, and provide recommendations for research and clinical application.Methods The following databases and platforms will be searched for articles published from 2003 (year the Budapest Criteria was developed) onward: CINAHL, CENTRAL, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Our search strategy will use subject headings and text words related to the concepts of CRPS in paediatric populations, with study inclusion criteria from birth up to 18 years old, and a diagnosis of CRPS. Data will be extracted by our multidisciplinary team and findings will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.Ethics and dissemination This study does not involve human participants or unpublished data; therefore, approval from a human research ethics committee is not required. The findings of this scoping review will be disseminated through academic conferences and peer-reviewed publications.
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spelling doaj-art-6bdd56fe6f114836af3dce866f86d77a2025-08-20T02:30:38ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-05-0115510.1136/bmjopen-2025-101963Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocolJulia Wager0Lorenzo Fabrizi1Rebecca Lee2Helen Koechlin3See Wan Tham4Lisa-Marie Rau5Navil Firoze Sethna6Elisabeth Mueller Nylander7German Paediatric Pain Centre, Children`s and Adolescents’ Hospital Datteln, Datteln, GermanyDepartment of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, UKCenter for Epidemiology, Center for Musculoskeletal Research, Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, The University of Manchester Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, Manchester, UKPsychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children’s Hospital Zürich, Zürich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USAGerman Paediatric Pain Centre, Children’s and Adolescents’ Hospital Datteln, Datteln, GermanyAnesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USALibrary and Information Commons, Seattle Children’s Research Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USAIntroduction There are no validated paediatric-specific diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). As a result, diagnostic tools developed for adults (eg, Budapest Criteria, Japanese Diagnostic Criteria, Veldman Criteria) are frequently applied in the paediatric population. However, the clinical presentations and trajectories of children can differ from adults. Given that treatment outcomes are linked to early diagnosis and intervention, the lack of paediatric-specific screening or diagnostic tools is an important knowledge gap. We aim to identify the frequency of individual criteria used in diagnosing CRPS in children and adolescents in existing literature, summarise assessment methods used to establish the diagnosis, and provide recommendations for research and clinical application.Methods The following databases and platforms will be searched for articles published from 2003 (year the Budapest Criteria was developed) onward: CINAHL, CENTRAL, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Our search strategy will use subject headings and text words related to the concepts of CRPS in paediatric populations, with study inclusion criteria from birth up to 18 years old, and a diagnosis of CRPS. Data will be extracted by our multidisciplinary team and findings will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.Ethics and dissemination This study does not involve human participants or unpublished data; therefore, approval from a human research ethics committee is not required. The findings of this scoping review will be disseminated through academic conferences and peer-reviewed publications.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/5/e101963.full
spellingShingle Julia Wager
Lorenzo Fabrizi
Rebecca Lee
Helen Koechlin
See Wan Tham
Lisa-Marie Rau
Navil Firoze Sethna
Elisabeth Mueller Nylander
Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol
BMJ Open
title Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol
title_full Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol
title_fullStr Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol
title_full_unstemmed Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol
title_short Application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome: a scoping review protocol
title_sort application of diagnostic criteria in paediatric complex regional pain syndrome a scoping review protocol
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/5/e101963.full
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