Facial pain due to vascular lesions of the brain stem relieved by dorsal root entry zone lesions in the nucleus caudalis

1992 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Sampson ◽  
Blaine S. Nashold
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Facial Pain ◽  
Artery Aneurysm ◽  
Vascular Lesions ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Radiofrequency Lesions ◽  
The Brain

✓ One patient with a pontine infarct due to a fusiform basilar artery aneurysm and one with an arteriovenous malformation within the tectum of the mesencephalon developed intractable facial pain. This pain was relieved in both patients by radiofrequency lesions in the dorsal root entry zone of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis.

A new design of radiofrequency lesion electrodes for use in the caudalis nucleus DREZ operation

1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1116-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaine S. Nashold ◽  
Amr O. El-Naggar ◽  
Janice Ovelmen-Levitt ◽  
Muwaffak Abdul-Hak
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Facial Pain ◽  
Anatomical Study ◽  
New Right ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Radiofrequency Lesion ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Two new right-angled electrodes have been designed for use at the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) of the caudalis nucleus to provide relief of chronic facial pain. The electrode design was based on an anatomical study of the human caudalis nucleus at the cervicomedullary junction. Previously, caudalis nucleus DREZ operations were often followed by ipsilateral ataxia, usually in the arm. The new electrodes have significantly reduced this complication. A group of 21 patients with varied types of chronic facial pain have been treated, with pain relief in 70%.

Dorsal root entry zone lesions for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia

1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1258-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan H. Friedman ◽  
Blaine S. Nashold ◽  
Janice Ovelmen-Levitt
Keyword(s):  
Pain Relief ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Post Herpetic Neuralgia ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Adequate Pain Relief ◽  
Good Pain Relief ◽  
Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation

✓ Post-herpetic pain was treated in 12 patients using dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesions. All patients had failed to receive adequate pain relief from conservative therapy consisting of transcutaneous nerve stimulation, carbamazepine, and/or amitriptyline. Dorsal root entry zone lesions were made to include the involved dermatomes plus one-half of the dermatomes above and below the painful areas. Eight patients reported good pain relief with follow-up periods ranging from 6 to 21 months. A ninth patient obtained satisfactory pain relief, but the superior 1 cm of the original painful area was not included in the distribution of the DREZ lesions. Patients whose lesions were performed using a thermally controlled lesion probe suffered no significant postoperative neurological deficit. Dorsal root entry zone lesions appeared to be a satisfactory treatment for post-herpetic neuralgia in patients who have failed to respond to more conservative modes of therapy.

Theoretical Aspects of Radiofrequency Lesions in the Dorsal Root Entry Zone

Neurosurgery ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 945-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric R. Cosman ◽  
Blaine S. Nashold ◽  
Janice Ovelman-Levitt
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Radiofrequency Lesions

Dorsal root entry zone lesions to control central pain in paraplegics

1981 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaine S. Nashold ◽  
Elizabeth Bullitt
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Central Pain ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Thirteen patients with intractable long-term pain following spinal cord injury and paraplegia were treated with dorsal root entry zone lesions placed at the level just above the transection. Pain relief of 50% or more was achieved in 11 of the 13 patients, with follow-up periods ranging from 5 to 38 months. A previous report showed that central pain from brachial plexus avulsion could be relieved by dorsal root entry zone lesions, and this technique has been extended to the central pain phenomena associated with spinal trauma and paraplegia.

Spinal cord mapping with evoked responses for accurate localization of the dorsal root entry zone

1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmood Fazl ◽  
David A. Houlden ◽  
Zelma Kiss
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Intractable Pain ◽  
Specific Stimulus ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Accurate Localization

✓ Direct spinal cord stimulation and recording techniques were used intraoperatively to localize the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) in four patients with brachial plexus avulsion and severe intractable pain. The spinal cord was stimulated by a cordotomy needle placed on the pia-arachnoid at the DREZ or the dorsal or dorsolateral aspect of the spinal cord. Recordings were obtained from a subdural silver ball electrode placed rostral or caudal to the stimulation site. Spinal cord conduction velocity was significantly faster following dorsolateral stimulation than dorsal stimulation (mean = 66 and 45 m/sec respectively). The spinal cord evoked potential was significantly larger in amplitude following dorsolateral stimulation than dorsal stimulation at a specific stimulus intensity. Stimulation at the DREZ failed to evoke a response. These neurophysiological phenomena helped to accurately localize the DREZ before DREZ lesioning was undertaken. There were no untoward neurological deficits related to the DREZ lesions and all patients had satisfactory pain relief following the procedure. Intraoperative spinal cord mapping facilitates accurate DREZ localization when the DREZ cannot be visually identified.

Postherpetic Neuralgia

2019 ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
Sebastian Rubino ◽  
Roy S. Hwang ◽  
Julie G. Pilitsis
Keyword(s):  
Postherpetic Neuralgia ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Facial Pain ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Motor Cortex Stimulation ◽  
Trigeminal Nucleus ◽  
Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Root Entry Zone

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) after acute herpes zoster ophthalmicus involves unilateral pain persisting or recurring for at least 3 months in the distribution of one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve. Patients often describe the pain associated with PHN as a deep aching or burning, dysesthetic, hyperesthetic, or electric shock-like sensation. The incidence of PHN increases with age and varies from 7 to 27%, depending on age group. 1 A subset of these patients develops medication-refractory PHN and should be referred for neurosurgical evaluation. Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) and trigeminal nucleus caudalis dorsal root entry zone (NC DREZ) lesioning are two therapies that may provide substantial relief to patients suffering from medication-refractory, postherpetic neuropathic facial pain.

Dorsal root entry zone lesions for intractable pain after trauma to the conus medullaris and cauda equina

1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Sampson ◽  
Robert E. Cashman ◽  
Blaine S. Nashold ◽  
Allan H. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Cauda Equina ◽  
Conus Medullaris ◽  
Intractable Pain ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Relieve Pain ◽  
Fine Print

✓ This review was undertaken to determine the efficacy of using dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesions to treat intractable pain caused by trauma to the conus medullaris and cauda equina. Traumatic lesions of this area are unique in that both the spinal cord and the peripheral nerve roots are injured. Although DREZ lesions have been shown to relieve pain of spinal cord origin in many patients, they have been shown not to relieve pain of peripheral nerve origin. Therefore, 39 patients with trauma to the conus medullaris and cauda equina who underwent DREZ lesioning for intractable pain were reviewed retrospectively. The results of this review demonstrate the efficacy of DREZ lesions in these patients. At a mean follow-up period of 3.0 years, 54% of patients were pain-free without medications, and 20% required only nonnarcotic analgesic drugs for pain that no longer interfered with their daily activities. Better outcomes were noted in patients with an incomplete neurological deficit, with pain having an “electrical” character, and with injuries due to blunt trauma. Operative complications included weakness (four patients), bladder or sexual dysfunction (three), cerebrospinal fluid leak (two), and wound infection (two), but overall, 79.5% of patients (31 of 39) were without serious complications. Complications were limited to patients with prior tissue damage at the surgical exploration site and were most prevalent in patients who underwent bilateral DREZ lesions. In conclusion, this preliminary report suggests that DREZ lesions may be useful in combating intractable pain from traumatic injuries to the conus medullaris and cauda equina, with some risk to neurological function that may be acceptable in this group of patients.

Somatosensory function following dorsal root entry zone lesions in patients with neurogenic pain or spasticity

1991 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 916-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Jeanmonod ◽  
Marc Sindou
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Neurogenic Pain ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Somatosensory Function ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The goal of this study was to assess the effects of the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning procedure, microsurgical DREZ-otomy (MDT), on spinal cord somatosensory function based on peri- and intraoperative clinical and electrophysiological data. The study was performed prospectively on a series of 20 patients suffering from either chronic neurogenic pain or spasticity. Physiological observations were made of the intraoperative evoked electrospinographic recordings as collected from the surface of the spinal cord. The MDT procedure produced analgesia or severe hypalgesia, moderate hypesthesia, and only slight deficits in proprioception and cutaneous spatial discrimination on the body segments operated on. These clinical data correlated well with evoked electrospinographic recordings, which showed a moderate effect of MDT on presynaptic compound action potentials recorded from the spinal cord (N11 and N21), a partial or even reversible effect on the cortical postcentral N20 wave, a more marked effect on the postsynaptic dorsal horn waves N13 and N24 related to large primary afferent fibers, and a disappearance of dorsal horn waves related to finer afferents (N2 and possibly N3). These data provide evidence for an acceptably selective action of MDT on spinal cord nociceptive mechanisms, and for a partial, often slight, involvement of the other somatosensory domains. The presence of abnormal evoked electrospinographic waves is discussed in relation to the mechanisms of neurogenic pain and spasticity. The hypothesis of a “retuning” of the dorsal horn as the mode of action of MDT is presented.

Dorsal root entry zone lesions for post-amputation pain

1985 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Saris ◽  
Robert P. Iacono ◽  
Blaine S. Nashold
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Dorsal Column ◽  
Phantom Limb ◽  
Phantom Pain ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Root Entry Zone ◽  
Stump Pain ◽  
Dorsal Column Stimulation

✓ Chronic pain following an amputation may involve the stump, the phantom limb, or both. Operations such as rhizotomy, cordotomy, stump revision, and dorsal column stimulation have been unsuccessful in treating this condition. This study evaluates the effectiveness of dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) coagulation for this pain problem. The authors studied 22 patients with amputations due to trauma, gangrene, or cancer. All developed post-amputation pain, underwent a DREZ procedure, and were followed from 6 months to 4 years after surgery. Overall, only eight (36%) of these 22 patients had pain relief. However, good results were obtained in six (67%) of nine patients with phantom pain alone, and in five (83%) of six patients with traumatic amputations associated with root avulsion. Poor results were obtained in patients with both phantom and stump pain, or stump pain alone. The DREZ procedure has a limited, but definite, place in the treatment of post-amputation pain.

An Anatomical Study of the Human Trigeminal Nucleus Caudalis as It Relates to Facial Pain and the Dorsal Root Entry Zone Operation

Neurosurgery ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 801-802
Author(s):  
B. S. Nashold ◽  
A. El-Naggar ◽  
M. M. Abdulhak ◽  
J. Ovelmen-Levitt ◽  
E. Cosman
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Facial Pain ◽  
Anatomical Study ◽  
Trigeminal Nucleus ◽  
Entry Zone ◽  
Dorsal Root Entry Zone ◽  
Trigeminal Nucleus Caudalis ◽  
Root Entry Zone
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