SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Intractable Pain”

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.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMed1986

Electrical stimulation of the brain for relief of intractable pain due to cancer.

Seventeen patients with intractable pain due to progressive malignancies were treated by electrical stimulation of the brain after more conventional pain therapies applied in the University of California, Los Angeles Cancer Pain Clinic had failed. Electrodes were stereotactically implanted under local anesthesia in the periaqueductal grey (PAG) or periventricular grey (PVG) in 11 patients. In six patients electrodes were placed in both PAG-PVG targets and in the sensory thalamic nuclei. Thirteen of the 17 patients achieved virtually total pain relief and 2 others achieved partial pain relief. At the hospital discharge only 4 of 17 patients required narcotic analgesics for pain relief. Follow-up periods ranged from 1 to 21 months and 6 patients remain alive. Fourteen patients eventually required narcotics for pain relief, usually in the terminal few weeks of their lives. Pain relief was achieved in spite of the fact that all patients were tolerant to large doses of systematically or intraspinally administered narcotics at the time of electrode placement. No complications related to brain stimulation were identified. Brain stimulation is a safe and effective method for treatment of intractable pain due to malignancy in certain patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Intraventricular morphine for intractable pain of advanced cancer.

Among the most difficult pain management problems are those associated with advanced head and neck cancer, and those in which pain is midline, bilateral, or diffuse. The authors report effective control of intractable pain in 52 patients by injection of small doses of morphine via an Ommaya or a Cordis reservoir into the lateral cerebral ventricle. The technique is safe and effective. The reservoir is usually inserted under local analgesia so the method of pain relief is available to patients in whom general anesthesia would be difficult or contraindicated. The doses of morphine required to maintain analgesia remain remarkably low. Tolerance reported by other authors has not been a problem when preoperative assessment of the patient has been thorough. Maximum survival time has been 75 wk and another patient has lived 65 wk. Complications included two colonized reservoirs, one dislodged ventricular catheter, three blocked catheters, and one postoperative meningitis. For patients with diffuse midline or bilateral pain, or intractable pain associated with advanced head and neck cancer, the use of intraventricular morphine should be considered when satisfactory pain relief is not achieved with oral morphine or continuous subcutaneous infusion.

Aged↗

PubMed1991

Psychiatric symptoms in patients with non-organic chronic intractable pain.

Patients (200) with chronic intractable pain were evaluated to identify various psychiatric symptoms. Identifiable psychiatric illness, commonest being neurotic depression and anxiety states, was found in 72 per cent patients. The common symptoms reported on the present state examination (PSE) were worrying (77%), depression (40%), loss of interest (31.5%), hopelessness (16.5%), loss of weight (18%), and suicidal ideas (8%) and irritability (41.5%). Two thirds of patients had both anxiety and depression.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Percutaneous vertebroplasty in patients with intractable pain from osteoporotic or metastatic fractures: A prospective study using quality-of-life assessment.

PURPOSE: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure whereby vertebral compression fractures are stabilized by the injection of bone cement, or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Rapid partial or complete pain relief can usually be achieved through this procedure. We prospectively evaluate the efficacy of PVP in the relief of pain and improvement in quality of life of patients with intractable pain from osteoporotic and metastatic fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with intractable pain from vertebral metastases (many resistant to palliative radiation therapy) and patients with intractable painful osteoporotic fractures were treated with parapedicular or transpedicular injection of PMMA. Plane X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan were performed on all patients. With a reflex hammer, percussion pain was correlated to the imaging abnormalities. The preplanning CT scan was used to calculate the exact entry point and angle of the bone-biopsy needle. All patients were assessed before and after the procedure for quality of life and amount of pain. The following measures were used: 1) the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), for global pain, nausea, tiredness, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, appetite, sense of well-being, and shortness of breath; 2) a site-specific pain score (SSPS); 3) the amount of analgesic intake in morphine equivalents in the last 24 hours; and 4) the Townsend Functional Assessment Scale (TFAS), ascertaining mobility. A postprocedural CT scan was performed the same day on all patients. Follow-up assessment consisted of a phone call at Days 1, 2, and 4 and Weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12. Patients with recurrent back pain or complications were followed in the bone metastases clinic. RESULTS: Thirty patients (19 women, 11 men) were evaluated. Their median age was 68 years (range 31 to 87 years). Thirty procedures (n = 30) at 45 vertebral levels were performed; 13 were for pathologic fractures, and 17 were for osteoporotic fractures. SSPS showed a decrease of 2 or more levels in 88.5% of patients at 12-week follow-up. The mean SSPS with movement was 8.7 preprocedure and 1.8 postprocedure (P < 0.0001). Also, there was significant improvement in all 9 ESAS domains (P < 0.0004). The ingestion of analgesics in morphine equivalents showed a trend toward reduction post-PVP (P < 0.0599). When the patients with pathologic fractures were separated out, the reduction in ingestion of analgesics was significant (P < 0.0008). The TFAS demonstrated significant improvement in patient mobility and function. Extravertebral extravasation of cement was noted in 55.6% of the levels. We used a general linear mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance to analyze the data. CONCLUSIONS: PVP in osteoporotic and metastatic fractures significantly improved many patients' global quality-of-life scores and function by markedly decreasing their back pain and reducing their intake of pain medications. The procedure is safe, with no serious complications noted in our study.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Long-term follow-up study after pulvinotomy for intractable pain.

Pulvinotomy was performed on 42 cases with intractable pain. 19 cases survived for more than 1 year, the results were classified as follows: 4 were excellent, 4 good, 5 fair, and 4 were poor. The effects of the operation are discussed based on the disease. 2 cases, who survived for more than 1 year, suffered from the pain due to infiltration or metastasis of cancer, they died 22 and 14 months after the operation, respectively, but they had no intractable pain during the year before death. 14 cases who underwent CVD survived for more than 1 year. Results of the operation were as follows: 3 were excellent; 4 good, 4 fair, and 4 were poor. These cases were followed up for 3-10 years and the average was about 5 years. After more than 1 year, 2 cases with atypical facial pain were considered as being either fair or poor, one (fair case) of whom still does routine housework and is not drug dependent. A case of causalgia has been free from pain for 5 years after the operation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Intraspinal delivery of opiates by an implantable, programmable pump in patients with chronic, intractable pain of nonmalignant origin.

The use of intraspinal therapy for the management of intractable pain from nonmalignant causes has not been widely discussed. An implantable, externally programmable infusion pump was used for intraspinal delivery of morphine sulfate to 15 patients with intractable pain from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, arachnoiditis after spinal surgery, or an unknown cause. Dosage patterns were individualized. At follow-up ranging from 2 to 44 months, pain relief was reported as excellent by 8 patients, good by 3, and fair by 4. Six patients have returned to work. Two patients chose to terminate therapy. Few complications occurred, but most patients needed increasingly larger doses over time to maintain pain relief. Intraspinal infusion of morphine sulfate by use of an implanted, externally programmable pump is safe and effective in selected patients with intractable pain of nonmalignant origin.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

Is illness behavior related to chronicity in patients with intractable pain?

One hundred patients, referred for the management of intractable pain, completed a 52-item Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ). Responses were scored on 7 scales: general hypochondriasis, disease conviction, psychological versus somatic perception of illness, affective inhibition, affective disturbance, denial and irritability. IBQ scale profiles were used to study the relationship between chronicity of pain and pattern of illness behaviour reported. Except in the case of one scale, no significant correlation emerged. This overall lack of association between chronicity and illness behaviour remained even when the patient sample was restricted to those 20 patients having substantial organic pathology associated with their pain. These findings suggest that degree of chronicity is unlikely to play a major role in determining the illness behaviour manifested by patients with intractable pain.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed1992

The intractable pain treatment act of Texas.

There is overwhelming evidence that all types of pain, either of malignant or nonmalignant origin, are undertreated. This is especially true of patients whose pain can only be relieved by strong narcotics. The disciplinary section of the Texas Medical Practice Act (MPA) contains ambiguous language that makes determining proper standards for the use of narcotics difficult. To clarify this, the Intractable Pain Treatment Act (IPTA) allows the use of narcotics to treat intractable pain, without regard to the etiology of the pain, and clarifies narcotic use standards by defining intractable pain. The IPTA brings Texas law more into conformity with federal law, which clearly states that narcotics have a proper place in the treatment of intractable pain even if the etiology is not established. Reluctance to use narcotics for selected patients with nonmalignant painful medical conditions stems from the mistaken belief that they will become narcotic "addicts." Data from the medical literature do not support such a contention; in fact, just the opposite is supported.

Analgesics, Opioid↗

PubMed1982

The minimum effective analgetic blood concentration of pethidine in patients with intractable pain.

1 Pethidine infusions were performed in 16 patients with intractable pain in order to define a minimum effective analgetic blood concentration (MEAC) range. 2 Pethidine blood concentrations at the return of pain following a period of analgesia were considered to provide a more useful estimation of the MEAC than that at the onset of analgesia. 3. The MEAC range found in 15 of the 16 patients was 0.10 mg/l to 0.82 mg/l (median 0.25 mg/l). The intravenous dose of pethidine used in this study did not provide analgesia in one patient. 4 If the MEAC was greater than 0.40 mg/l in any patient, then additional techniques were required to provide adequate long term analgesia, e.g. destructive neurolytic techniques or antidepressant therapy. 5 The pharmacokinetic properties of pethidine found in the majority of these patients were in the range considered to be normal. 6 The clinical pharmacokinetic properties of pethidine found in the majority of these patients were in the range considered to be normal. 6 The clinical pharmacokineticist has in important role to play in the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of patients with intractable pain by detecting those patients with atypical pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic characteristics towards analgesic drugs.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

[Gabapentin in the treatment of chronic intractable pain].

INTRODUCTION: Gabapentin has been shown to reduce pain associated with diabetic neuropathia and postherpetic neuralgia. To date it is not known, whether gabapentin is generally effective in other types of pain. It was therefore the aim to study gabapentin in patients suffering from intractable pain with respect to efficacy, predictive factors and side effects. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the data sheet of pretreated patients suffering from intractable pain and treated with gabapentin as a third line drug at a university pain clinic. Pain intensity (visual analogue scale, VAS 0 -10 cm), pain characteristics, diagnosis, pre- and co-treatment, and side effects were assessed. Response to treatment was defined as a 50% reduction in pain or a pain intensity of VAS </= 3. RESULTS: 99 patients were included. Approximately half the patients (n = 49) responded to gabapentin. Patients suffering from neuropathic pain showed a higher response rate (60%) compared to patients with muscle-sceletal pain (35%). Allodynia was twice as high in the responders (35%) compared to the non-responders (18%) before treatment. No serious side effects were reported. CONCLUSION: Gabapentin was effective in approximately 50% of pretreated patients with intractable pain. Neuropathic pain responded better than pain of other origine. Allodynia may be a predictive factor for a positive treatment effect.

Acetates↗

PubMed1970

Percutaneous cordotomy. A simplified approach to the management of intractable pain.

Cordotomy for palliation of intractable pain was simplified by the use of a stereotactic percutaneous technique. The procedure is performed at the high cervical level and has been found to give good results for pain in the upper as well as the lower extremity and the trunk. Respiratory complications are the major hazard, but they may be reduced by careful selection and evaluation of patients.

Colonic Neoplasms↗

PubMed1995

[A case of myogenic intractable pain due to thalamic hemorrhage relieved by Vim-Vo thalamotomy].

A 58-year-old female patient with myogenic intractable pain due to thalamic hemorrhage which was relieved by stereotactic Vim-Vo thalamotomy was reported. She had an intractable pain, involuntary movement and deep sensory disturbance in her right arm. We performed stereotactic Vim-Vo thalamotomy using electrophysiological technique to relieve her involuntary movement and myogenic intractable pain. The electrophysiological recordings suggested the followings: (1) The destructive lesion by thalamic hemorrhage was located on from posterior border of Vim nucleus to the upper half of Vc nucleus. (2) Most of Vim neurons remained as intact state. (3) Thalamic electrical activities were relatively enhanced in the Vim nucleus. From these data, we can deduce that the deep sensory inputs reach the border area of Vim nucleus and Vc nucleus in the human thalamus. IMP-SPECT scans were performed before and after the operation. IMP-SPECT scan before operation showed us the contra-lateral cerebellar low perfusional state (crossed cerebellar diaschisis). This crossed cerebellar diaschisis disappeared after the operation. This result suggested that the interaction of cerebellum and Vim nucleus was very close. The above mentioned speculation was more compatible to Jones & Hirai's new parcellation of the human thalamus than to Hassler's.

Cerebral Hemorrhage↗

PubMed1991

Spinal cord stimulation in 60 cases of intractable pain.

Sixty patients with spinal cord stimulators implanted for intractable pain lasting up to 50 years were followed for up to nine years. Forty seven per cent derived significant benefit, 23% modest benefit, 20% experienced no effect and 6.7% were made worse. Two were made worse after initial benefit. Complications, indications and factors relevant to the mode of action are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

CT-guided percutaneous selective cordotomy for treatment of intractable pain in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant mesotheliomas are neoplasms that arise from mesothelial cells and cause intractable pain in the chest wall, usually located unilaterally. This local pain can be well controlled by computerized tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous cordotomy (PC). One hundred and fifty-three patients suffering from intractable pain due to malignancy were treated with CT-guided cordotomy between 1988 and 2001. Seventy of the 153 patients had pulmonary malignancy. Among these, 40 had bronchogenic carcinoma, 11 had Pancoast tumors and the remaining 19 had mesothelioma. The latter 19 cases with malignant mesothelioma suffering from unilateral pain were treated with CT-guided PC. In 18 cases, pain was controlled totally and, in one, partial pain control was obtained. Selective pain control was obtained in 15 cases, in whom narcotic drugs were discontinued postoperatively. Post-cordotomy dysesthesia was noted in only one case, and no complication or mortality was observed. In the treatment of intractable pain, CT-guided cordotomy is a perfect method in selected cases with malignancy. This is the most effective and suitable treatment modality for local pain due to malignant mesothelioma.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy for intractable pain.

To document the value of cingulotomy for pain relief, a series of 22 patients with medically intractable pain, including 15 with cancer pain and seven with non-cancer pain, underwent stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy, between August 2001 and December 2002. Of the 15 patients with cancer pain, significant or meaningful pain relief was achieved in 67% of patients at one month follow-up, which decreased to 58% at three months and 50% at six months. Of the seven patients with intractable pain from non-neoplastic origin, four achieved significant pain relief, one obtained meaningful relief, and two reported no change at one year follow-up. There was no surgical mortality or permanent neurological morbidity. Two patients developed transient confusion and another two had mild gastrointestinal bleeding. No clinically evident personality or emotional changes were noted. However, subtle cognitive impairment, especially attentional deficits, were detected through detailed neuropsychological evaluation.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) localization using direct spinal cord stimulation can improve results of the DREZ thermocoagulation procedure for intractable pain relief.

The dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) thermocoagulation for intractable pain after brachial plexus avulsion was performed in 21 patients. Good results in pain relief (relief of more than 75% of preoperative pain) were achieved in 62% of patients, whereby fair results (relief of 25-75% of preoperative pain) in 38% of patients. There was no patient with poor result (relief of less than 25% of preoperative pain). Complication rate was 14%. The whole patient population was subdivided into two groups (Group 1 and Group 2). Direct spinal cord bipolar stimulation and registration with the goal to localize DREZ was performed in the Group 2 consisting of 12 patients (n=12). The point on the spinal cord surface where no response after stimulus of low intensity was obtained was the site (the posterolateral sulcus) we identified as the most suitable point for the placement of radiofrequency thermocoagulation electrode. Comparing with the Group 1 consisting of nine patients (n=9), where the localization of DREZ by evoked potentials was not performed, significantly better effect of pain relief was recorded (P<0.05, odds ratio 10). There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.7) in complication rate in Group 1 and Group 2. Described electrophysiological technique is very helpful in identifying of DREZ and, in combination with microsurgical technique, can create DREZ thermocoagulation more effective.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Dorsal root entry zone lesions for intractable pain after trauma to the conus medullaris and cauda equina.

This review was undertaken to determine the efficacy of using dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesions to treat intractable pain caused by trauma to the conus medullaris and cauda equina. Traumatic lesions of this area are unique in that both the spinal cord and the peripheral nerve roots are injured. Although DREZ lesions have been shown to relieve pain of spinal cord origin in many patients, they have been shown not to relieve pain of peripheral nerve origin. Therefore, 39 patients with trauma to the conus medullaris and cauda equina who underwent DREZ lesioning for intractable pain were reviewed retrospectively. The results of this review demonstrate the efficacy of DREZ lesions in these patients. At a mean follow-up period of 3.0 years, 54% of patients were pain-free without medications, and 20% required only nonnarcotic analgesic drugs for pain that no longer interfered with their daily activities. Better outcomes were noted in patients with an incomplete neurological deficit, with pain having an "electrical" character, and with injuries due to blunt trauma. Operative complications included weakness (four patients), bladder or sexual dysfunction (three), cerebrospinal fluid leak (two), and wound infection (two), but overall, 79.5% of patients (31 of 39) were without serious complications. Complications were limited to patients with prior tissue damage at the surgical exploration site and were most prevalent in patients who underwent bilateral DREZ lesions. In conclusion, this preliminary report suggests that DREZ lesions may be useful in combating intractable pain from traumatic injuries to the conus medullaris and cauda equina, with some risk to neurological function that may be acceptable in this group of patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Spinal epidural neurostimulation for treatment of acute and chronic intractable pain: initial and long term results.

Spinal epidural neurostimulation, which evolved from dorsal column stimulation, has been found to be effective in the treatment of acute and chronic intractable pain. Urban and Hashold have shown that it is a safe, simplified alternative to dorsal column stimulation, especially because laminectomy is not required if the electrodes are inserted percutaneously. Percutaneous epidural neurostimulation is also advantageous because there can be a diagnostic trial period before permanent internalization and implantation. This diagnostic and therapeutic modality has been used in 36 patients during the past 3 years at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Eleven of these patients had acute intractable pain, which was defined as pain of less than 1 year in duration. Initial postimplantation results from the 36 patients indicate that spinal epidural neurostimulation is most effective in treating the intractable pain of diabetes, arachnoiditis, and post-traumatic and postamputation neuroma. Long term follow-up, varying from 1 year to 3 years postimplantation in the 20 initially responding patients, indicates that the neurostimulation continues to provide significant pain relief (50% or greater) in a majority of the patients who experienced initial significant pain relief.

Acute Disease↗