title: Experience with 25 years of dorsal root entry zone lesioning at a single institution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The authors sought to assess long-term efficacy, surgical morbidity, and postoperative quality of life in patients who have undergone dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilized the electronic chart system at our institution to identify patients who underwent DREZ lesioning since 1986. Of the patients that were able to be identified, 19 (12 males and 7 females) patients were able to be contacted at time of data collection. The mean age was 47 years (ranging from 23 to 70 years) with average preoperative pain duration of 12.5 years and average follow-up of 4.9 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 19 patients we were able to contact, 7 (37%) patients experienced "excellent" postoperative (complete) pain relief with another 6 (32%) reporting "good" improvement. Three (16%) patients reported "mild" pain relief, while three (16%) patients reported poor results. Sixteen patients (84%) stated they would undergo DREZ lesioning again, if given a choice. Two patients (11%) had objective evidence of a new, mild motor deficit postoperatively. More than half of the patients, who answered, reported "good" quality of life. Two-sample unequal variance t-test showed no statistically significant difference in pain improvement between brachial plexus avulsion and end-zone spinal cord injury pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With appropriate patient selection, DREZ lesioning is an efficacious and durable procedure that can be performed with low morbidity and good patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmed J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jermakowicz
authors.forename: Ilyas M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Eli
authors.forename: Bennett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blumenkopf
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Konrad
keywords: Brachial plexus; dorsal root; dorsal root entry zone; neuropathic pain; spinal cord