LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF SURGICAL CORDOTOMY IN INTRACTABLE NON-MALIGNANT PAIN

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 65  (2) , 97-102
Abstract
Of patients who have cordotomies for nonmalignant pain .apprx. 40% gain a prolonged and worthwhile period of relief, allowing a return to work and normal living. The available evidence suggests that the decline in the analgesic efficacy of cordotomy tends to plateau with the passage of time, though the exact pattern of this change remains undefined. While the complication rate of cordotomy is undoubtedly high and its effectiveness far from ideal, it may nevertheless have a place in the treatment of carefully selected patients with intractable pain due to nonmalignant causes.