Surgical Tratment of Intractable Head and Neck Pain

ABSTRACT

Surgical treatment of 24 patients with chronic intractable pain from head and neck cancer was reviewed in the study. Pain relief is not expected with conventional treatments designed to control the primary disease in advanced head and neck cancer. Effectiveness of neurosurgical procedures such as radiofrequency trigeminal rhizotomy, posterior cervical rhizotomy and medullary tractotomy for relief of intractable cancer pain is emphasized in the paper. Trigeminal radiofrequency rhizotomy is the treatment of choice for relieving the uncontrollable pain in the facial area. Trigeminal rhizotomy and cervical rhizotomy or medullary tractotomy are helpful for facial pain extending into the neck. Glossopharyngeal rhizotomy is seldom used but is useful for pain in the pharynx.