UI - 000074

AU - Russegger L

TI - Chronic pain conditions--causes, manifestations and neurosurgical treatment possibilities.

[Review] [German]

AB - The relief of chronic pain, which had lost its warning function and had become a disease entity, is one

of the main scopes of the so-called "functional neurosurgery". If it is impossible to eliminate the origin of

chronic pain condition, or if conservative treatment is not effective, this is an indication for a surgical

intervention. "Destructive methods" in pain surgery aim at interrupting the pathway of pain in one of its

three steps (neurons). The decision which method should be used depends on character and localisation of

pain and requires well-founded experience by the surgeon. "Non-destructive" operations include stimulation

methods of several CNS areas as well as implantation of drug reservoirs which conceded a continuous

release of morphine or morphine derivatives to the opiate receptors of the spinal cord. The paper evaluates

the most common surgical procedures in pain relief concerning technique, indication and efficacy and gives a

survey on the pathophysiological background of chronic pain. [References: 70]

SO - Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie 1989;57:319-327