Pulsed radiofrequency treatment within brachial plexus for the management of intractable neoplastic plexopathic pain.
We report on the use of pulsed radiofrequency (RF) within the plexus for the management of intractable pain in three patients with metastatic or invasive plexopathy. The patients were a 38-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer 6 years earlier whose computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a mass lesion at the infraclavicular part of the right brachial plexus, a 68-year-old man diagnosed with advanced lung cancer whose CT scans revealed a bone metastasis in the right humerus invading the axillary region of the right brachial plexus, and a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with advanced lung cancer whose CT scans revealed a bone metastasis in the left humerus invading the axillary region of the left brachial plexus. Ultrasound-guided pulsed RF was performed within the interscalene brachial plexus. During the follow-up period, their intractable pain was moderately controlled.
Multidisciplinary Pain Center, School of Medicine, Aichi Medical University, 21 Karimata, Nagakutecho, Aichigun, Aichi 480-1195, Japan. arainon@aichi-med-u.ac.jp
Young-Chang P
YC
Arai
Makoto
M
Nishihara
Shuichi
S
Aono
Tatsunori
T
Ikemoto
Chiharu
C
Suzuki
Akiko
A
Kinoshita
Takahiro
T
Ushida
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary; D001917:Brachial Plexus; D020516:Brachial Plexus Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary; D061208:Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional