Cervical Cordotomy in Terminal Cancer: Pain Relieving in Oncological Treatment

Cordotomy consists in the discontinuation of the lateral spinothalamic tract (LST) in the anterolateral quadrant of the spinal cord, which aims to reduce the transference of nociceptive information in the dorsal horn of the gray matter of the spinal cord to the somatosensory cortex. The main indication is for patients with terminal cancer that have a low life expectancy. It improves the quality of life by relieving pain. The results are promising and the pain relief rate varies between 69 and 100%. Generally speaking, the complications are mostly temporary and not remarkable.

Utilização de medula óssea autóloga na integração de enxertos ósseos homólogos / The use of autogenic bone marrow associated to homologous bone grafts: case series

Este artigo mostra a resolução de quatro casos clínicos onde a perda dos quatro elementos dentais superiores anteriores 11/22 trouxe uma reabsorção óssea maxilar dessa região que impedia a instalação dos implantes osseointegrados. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a cirurgias de regeneração óssea, com a utilização de osso córtico medular homógeno fresco congelado, em bloco, sendo que, em dois dos pacientes esses blocos ósseos foram impregnados com medula óssea autóloga aspirada do próprio paciente e nos outros dois pacientes foram apenas fixados os blocos ósseos sem associação alguma. Após um período de seis meses, implantes foram instalados nessa região e uma biópsia foi realizada, o que proporcionou a confecção de lâminas histológicas. A associação da medula óssea autóloga ao osso homógeno resultou na obtenção de um maior volume ósseo.

This paper shows four clinical cases where the anterior upper incisors were lost, which resulted in inadequate bone volume for implant placement. All patients were submitted to bone graft surgery with fresh frozen homogenous block graft. In two patients the blocks were embedded in an autologous bone marrow aspirate in the other two the homogenous block was used alone. After six months, implants were positioned and biopsy removed for histological evaluation. The association of the autologous bone marrow to the homogenous bone block resulted in an adequate bone volume that was considered superior to the other sites where the bone marrow was not used.