Subanesthetic ketamine: an essential adjuvant for intractable cancer pain.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Although multiple bony metastases from carcinoma of the prostate are common, widespread pain is a much less frequent complication but one which nevertheless presents considerable difficulties in management. Pain may be severe requiring large doses of narcotic analgesics and may render the patient virtually immobile. A total of 53 treatments with radioactive phosphorus-32 were assessed in 46 patients; in addition, five patients died before response was assessable. A worthwhile response in terms of pain reduction and improved mobility was obtained in 87%. Response was subdivided into good and moderate, with response rates of 53% and 34% respectively. The mean age of patients at treatment was 64.6 years, the median 65 years, and 30% of treated patients were 60 years or under. Median survival in the good, moderate and no response groups was 8, 6.5 and 4.5 months respectively. These differences in survival are not statistically significant. Five-year survival was 4.3%. The treatment is not intended to improve survival but with 87% of patients achieving pain relief, 32P should be considered for the treatment of severe bony pain when other options are limited by the widespread nature of the disease.
Pontine stereotactic tractotomy was performed on 13 patients for the relief of intractable pain. The results of electrical stimulation performed to localise target sites and confirm electrode trajectory are described. Stimulation sites included the cerebellum, cerebellar peduncle, trigeminal nucleus, facial nucleus, cochlear and vestibular nuclei and the trigeminal descending quintothalamic and spinothalamic tracts. Particular attention was given to facial sensory responses. Stimulation of the trigeminal nucleus produced discrete sensations, but quintothalamic stimulation gave more general ipsilateral facial sensation. Medullary trigeminal nucleotomy is recommended for facial deafferentation pain because it interrupts intranuclear trigeminal connections in the caudal trigeminal nucleus where the point of neuronal hyperactivity and stimulus convergence lies.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of dronabinol for the treatment of neuropathic pain refractory to previous treatment. METHODS: We studied the response (reduction of pain intensity and functional improvement) to dronabinol (5 mg/day to 25 mg/day) in two adolescents with neuropathic pain and depression refractory to previous treatments over two and five years, respectively. RESULTS: Reduction in pain intensity (45%) was achieved in patient 2 and was unchanged in patient 1. Functional improvement was markedly increased in terms of academic performance, mood and sleep in both patients over four to five months, without major adverse effects. While these improvements dissipated over time, the patients were more reconnected with rehabilitation and focused less on the intrusiveness of their pain problem in their every day lives. CONCLUSIONS: Dronabinol appeared to be effective in improving pain affect and psychosocial functioning in the treatment of refractory neuropathic pain and may be considered as an adjuvant medication in the rehabilitation process. Well-controlled placebo studies are required for further evaluation.
Cordotomy should be reserved for patients with intractable pain resistant to conservative treatment that is not of a dysaesthetic type. The high cervical percutaneous technique permits exploitation of the principles of stereotactic surgery, especially physiological localization of the lesion site. The induction by 100 Hz stimulation of a warm or cool tingling in some portion of the contralateral half of the body without muscle tetanization ensures location within the spinothalamic tract while attention to the somatotopographic organization of the responses permits a certain degree of tailoring of the extent of analgesia to the patient's needs. During 264 consecutive procedures the spinothalamic tract was successfully located in 99% with a 0.3% incidence of significant persistent paresis.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The postphlebitic syndrome is a common affliction with limited therapeutic options. Patients who fail to respond to treatment with graded elastic compression stockings often develop a chronic pain syndrome manifested by intractable pain and swelling. Because lymphedema, a condition also associated with leg pain and swelling, has been successfully treated by intermittent compressive therapy with an extremity pump, we conducted a pilot study of compressive therapy in patients with severe postphlebitic syndrome. All five patients studied had dramatic improvement in symptoms and functional status without side effects. Although a large randomized trial is needed to properly evaluate compressive therapy, it appears to be very effective in selected patients.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.