Percutaneous destructive pain procedures on the upper spinal cord and brain stem in cancer pain: CT-guided techniques, indications and results

Abstract

In the century of science and technology, the average life span has increased, bringing with it an increase in the incidence of degenerative and cancer disease. Intractable pain is usually the main symptom of cancer. With the advancement in technology, there is a large group of patients with intractable pain problems who can benefit from special help medically or surgically. Destructive pain procedures are necessary to control the cancer pain and are based on the lesioning of the pain conducting pathways. Percutaneous cordotomy, trigeminal tractotomy and extralemniscal myelotomy are special methods based on lesioning of the pain conducting pathways. The procedure consists of obtaining direct morphological appearance of the upper spinal cord and surrounding structures by computed tomography (CT). The next step is functional evaluation of the target and its environment by impedance measurement and stimulation. The final step is terminated with controlled lesioning obtained by a radiofrequency system (generator, needles, electrode system). In the last two decades, CT-guided destructive procedures were used as minimally invasive procedures as follows: percutaneous cordotomy (207 patients), trigeminal tractotomy-nucleotomy (65 patients), and extralemniscal myelotomy (16 patients). Most of these patients had cancer pain. Minimally invasive CT-guided destructive pain procedures are still safe and effective operations for relieving intractable cancer pain in selected cases.