Objectives Chronic pain, such as low-back pain, can be a highly disabling condition degrading people’s quality of life (QoL). Not every patient responds to pharmacological therapies, thus alternative treatments have to be developed. The chronicity of pain can lead to a somatic dysperception, meaning a mismatch between patients’ own body perception and its actual physical state. Since clinical evaluation of pain relies on patients’ subjective reports, a body image disruption can be associated with an incorrect pain rating inducing incorrect treatment and a possible risk of drug abuse. Our aim was to reduce chronic low-back pain through a multimodal neurorehabilitative strategy using innovative technologies to help patients regain a correct body image. Methods Twenty patients with chronic low-back pain were included. Before and after treatment, patients underwent: a neurological exam; a neuro-psychological evaluation testing cognitive functions (memory, attention, executive functions) and personality traits, QoL and mood; pain ratings; sensorimotor functional abilities’ testing. Patients underwent a 6 week-neurorehabilitative treatment (total 12 sessions) using virtual reality (VRRS system, Khymeia, Italy). Treatment consisted on teaching patients to execute correct movements with the painful body parts to regain a correct body image, based on the augmented multisensory feedback (auditory, visual) provided by the VRRS. Results Our data showed significant reductions in all pain rating scale scores (p<0.05); significant improvements of QoL in the domains of physical functioning, physical role functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and social role functioning; improvements in cognitive functions (p<0.05); improvements in functional scales (p<0.05) and mood (p = 0.04). Conclusion This non-pharmacological approach was able to act on the multi-dimensional aspects of pain and improved patients’ QoL, pain intensity, mood and patient’s functional abilities.

Desmopressin administration elicits a significant rise in ACTH and cortisol levels in the majority but not all patients with Cushing's disease. There is a good, but not complete, concordance between the response to the desmopressin test and the surgical outcome. Our preliminary data show that persistence of the ACTH response to desmopressin in the early postoperative period might be associated with a higher risk of late relapse.

The relationships between the horizontal segment ofthe internal carotid artery (ICA) The horizontal segment of the petrous in-ticular, the relationship among the structures of the ternal carotid artery (ICA) can be exposed through petrous apex must be understood. We performed a the extradural subtemporal middle cranial fossa ap-systematic anatomical study to determine a safe proach,116 which requires good knowledge of the and effective method for exposing the ICA anatomy of the petrous apex.1,2,5-8l10l2-15,17 In par-through the above approach.

No relevant differences in long-term outcomes were observed in previously tested patients compared with patients implanted at once. Through this analysis we hope to recruit new centres, to give more scientific value to our results.