The Fourth Pain Clinic Symposium, and meeting of the World Society of Pain Clinicians was held in Kyoto, Japan, 18--21 November 1990. It provided as international forum at which pain clinicians had the opportunity to discuss the recent developments and progress in the field of pain treatment.

This proceedings volume contains all lectures from the plenary sessions and from the following symposia: ''sympathetic nervous system and pain'' and ''present and future problems on the pain clinics''. Also included are selected free papers on cancer pain; reflex sympathetic dystrophy, deafferentiation pain and stimulation therapy; and various topics on pain management.