Spinal Opioid Infusions in the Treatment of Chronic Pain of Nonmalignant Origin

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Abstract
To review the published literature on the use of spinal opioids in the treatment of chronic pain due to nonmalignant diseases. Literature review. Ten studies describing 146 patients have been located and reviewed. The data are insufficient to permit formal analysis. The proper role of intraspinal opioids in the treatment of chronic pain not due to cancer cannot be determined from the existing literature. Intraspinal opioids should be considered an experimental procedure for chronic pains not due to cancer until better data can be obtained; all patients who receive such therapy should be part of a clinical protocol whose results are published. The development of standardized clinical trial methodology and case reporting protocols would facilitate this process.