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Low-frequency (1.6-2.2 Hz) and weak-intensity electrical stimulation in the spinal extradural space produced complete to partial pain relief in a majority of patients (22 of 25) who suffered from intractable pain. Also it produced analgesia or hypoalgesia over a wide area of the body surface in 19 of the 25.
This work analyzes the results of 88 blocks for intractable pain in thoracic and abdominal malignant diseases. Results and duration of analgesia are compared in regard to the localization of pain and to the use of alcohol or phenol. Best analgesic results are obtained in the pelvic pains and especially in the colorectal pains. The analgesic results and the duration of analgesia are poorer since the spinal nerves to block are higher, there are only 50 p. cent of good results in the thoracic region. Analgesic results are the same with alcohol or phenol, but duration of analgesia seems to be longer with phenol. The two routes of administration, subarachnoid or epidural, seem to give equal results. Motor paralysis of the bladder or the rectum may occur, especially in the low pelvic localizations and these complications justify careful selection of the indication.
This study examines retrospectively the natural history, classification, clinical and pathological features and results of treatment of intractable pain associated with lung cancer in 221 patients. The 3 chief causes of malignancy-related pain were skeletal metastatic disease (34%), Pancoast's tumour (31%) and chest wall disease (21%), together comprising 78% of the cancer-related pain problems. The median interval between cancer diagnosis and pain onset was 1 month. Overall pathological types of cancer were similar to those of lung cancer in general. Treatment modalities were varied and included radiation, percutaneous cordotomy, regional deafferentation and pharmacotherapy. The median survival from pain onset was 10 months.
Previous workers have advocated hip nerve block, with local anaesthetic, in the treatment of intractable pain from osteoarthritis of the hip. In a pilot study we obtained some degree of pain relief in only six of 13 patients. A further double-blind, controlled, randomized trial was undertaken in 31 patients, comparing 0.5% Marcain and normal saline. There was no significant improvement in pain or hip movements in either group over a six-week period.
In 38 patients a high thoracal cordotomy has been performed. All patients suffered from intractable pain due to malignant tumor in the basin. In all patients the follow-up extended till their death. Based on these results the indication for a cordotomy is discussed.
Various phases of solar energy were evaluated for possible medical application, using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. A 2-4 minute interval of highly beneficial phase during sunrise and sunset which is comparable or is stronger than (+) Qigong Energy was detected. This energy was stored on 3 x 5 inch index cards. The sun energy stored on the exposed surface had a Bi-Digital O-Ring Test extremely strong positive (+) response, and the opposite side of the index card which was not exposed to the sun showed an equally strong negative (-) response. When the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test strong positive side (+) was applied to the patient's skin above various intractable painful areas with circulatory disturbances, including gangrenous pain, muscle pain, joint pain, & migraine headache, most of the pain disappeared or was significantly reduced within between 10 seconds and 5 minutes, with accelerated wound healing compared with Qigong energy stored paper of the same exposure, which caused pain to disappear within between 1.5 minutes and 15 minutes. When this Special Solar Energy Stored Paper was applied either directly to the skin above cancer positive areas or the midline of the upper chest above the thymus gland representation area, or the occipital area above the medulla oblongata, various cancer related parameters returned to close to normal values, with immediate clinical improvement. The beneficial effects of 10-60 seconds of application of the Special Solar Energy Stored Paper lasted for between 7 and 40 days, depending on the individual and their environmental electromagnetic field, how the special solar energy was stored, and how it was applied to the patient.
Before extending the application of motor cortex stimulation it is important to investigate the intimate mechanisms by which it alleviates intractable pain and to consider possible side effects. Self-mutilation in animals following extensive neurectomy or posterior rhizotomy of a limb is thought to reveal severe dysesthesias in the deafferented zone suggesting its usefulness as an animal model of chronic pain in humans. We here show in deafferented nonhuman primates that the autotomy behavior immediately follows the surgery and disappears after 28 days. In keeping with the experience of Y. Lamarre, the simple but careful care of all wounds is sufficient to abolish this behavior. Our results do not exclude the possibility that the deafferentiation is still painful for the monkeys, but they definitely rule out that autotomy is a consistent response to deafferentation.
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Long-term intrathecal drug administration using implanted pumps is increasingly used in the treatment of chronic refractory pain [Anderson and Burchiel 1999, Neurosurgery 44 (1999) 289; Krames 2002, Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 16 (2002) 619; Wallace 2002, Neurology 59 (2002) S18]. Extensive clinical experience over the last 15 years suggests that in selected cases the technique is safe, although infections, system malfunction and drug-related complications have been reported. In most cases, drug-related spinal cord injuries have resulted from the compression of a spinal inflammatory mass or abcess rather than from a direct neurotoxic effect. We report on a case of toxic spinal cord lesion occurring after more than 3 years of uneventful continuous infusion of a mixture of bupivacaine and clonidine.
BACKGROUND: Pain secondary to unresectable pancreatic cancer is frequently severe and extremely difficult to control with traditional methods of analgesia. This retrospective study reports the analgesic effects of intrathecal morphine sulfate by implanted infusion pumps in nine patients with unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. METHODS: Nine patients were implanted over a 2-year period. Preoperative morphine i.v. equivalents were a mean of 81.51 mg/day, with a range of 20-140 mg/day. Patients were hospitalized for a trial dose of 1-2 mg of intrathecal Duramorph, 1 mg/ml, via lumbar puncture to assess whether adequate pain relief could be achieved and whether there would be drug-related side effects. RESULTS: All patients who received a trial dose experienced excellent pain relief, and subsequently underwent implantation of a lumbar subarachnoid catheter and infusion pump during the same hospitalization. The mean number of days from diagnosis to pump implant was 119, with a range of 3-587 days. The mean maximum daily dose was 21.28 mg, with a range of 3-73.10 mg. No patient experienced respiratory depression or excess sedation which prevented achievement of pain control. Minor supplemental narcotic use was documented in three of the nine patients. Assessment of pain control was made by the level of activity and the analog pain scale, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain imaginable. All of the patients experienced good to excellent relief of pain. The mean duration of intrathecal morphine sulfate use until death was 137.3 days, with a range of 52-354 days. CONCLUSIONS: This series of nine patients indicates that long-term administration of intrathecal morphine via implanted infusion pump in patients with pancreatic cancer is both efficacious and safe. All patients and their families reported an improved quality of life with an increased level of activity.
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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) became available in the 1970s as a treatment option for patients with constant or recurring pain. This invasive procedure is performed after all other efforts have failed to prove effective in controlling pain. Advanced technology enables the patient to perform adjustments to maximize comfort with the use of a magnet or portable programmer. Nursing care is guided by a specific plan of care for the SCS patient population. A patient population-specific standard may be useful.
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