title: Stereotactic mesencephalic tractotomy for the relief of thalamic pain.
abstract: Twenty-seven patients with pain of central origin following cerebral hemisphere or brain stem infarction underwent stereotactic mesencephalic tractotomy. Twenty-one (77.8%) were pain free or significantly improved at discharge. Twenty-four were available for later review and 1p (66.7%) reported relief up to 5 years later. The target site was revised after the first 14 patients, reducing the number obtaining long term relief (lesion I, at the level of the superior colliculus--75%; lesion II, at the level of the inferior colliculus--58.3%), but substantially decreasing the incidence of disorders of ocular function from 83.3% to 16.7%.
authors.affiliation: Midland Centre for Neurosurgery and Neurology, Warley, West Midlands England.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shieff
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Nashold
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D010146:Pain / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*