[Coenesthesia--an important differential diagnosis in chronic pain syndromes].

BACKGROUND: Coenesthesias can be defined as disorders of body perception or body hallucinations, projected in different parts of the body. Patients complain of intractable pain or dysesthesia. These symptoms are reported even from organs where we usually have no perception. Coenesthesia must be regarded as a symptom that can be observed in various psychiatric diseases, e.g., schizophrenia. However, in rare cases coenesthesias can be documented in neurological diseases, e.g., intracranial tumors or infections. Therefore, accurate assessment of possible differential diagnoses is important. In late stages, coenesthesias can easily be recognized because of their "bizarre" character. In early stages, however, patients often complain of intractable, unlocalizable burning pain. They frequently undergo operations because of their great suffering. The drug treatment of first choice is neuroleptics, but the results are unpredictable. CASES AND THERAPY: The case studies of three patients are presented and discussed (patient 1 with coenaesthetic schizophrenia, patient 2 with coenesthesia in the course of a delusional (paranoid) disorder; patient 3 with coenesthesia caused by carcinomatous meningitis).