Publication Language: English

Background and purpose: Percutaneous cervical cordotomy offers relief of unilateral intractable oncologic pain. We aimed to find anatomic and postoperative imaging features that may correlate with clinical outcomes, including pain relief and postoperative contralateral pain. Materials and methods: We prospectively followed 15 patients with cancer who underwent cervical cordotomy for intractable pain during 2018 and 2019 and …

Cervical Cordotomy for Intractable Pain: Do Postoperative Imaging Features Correlate with Pain Outcomes and Mirror Pain? Read More »

Introduction: Neurosurgical ablative procedures can offer immediate and effective pain relief for patients suffering from refractory cancer pain. However, choosing the appropriate procedure for each patient may not be straightforward and warrants an interdisciplinary approach. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with cancer who were carefully selected for neurosurgical …

Tailoring of neurosurgical ablative procedures in the management of refractory cancer pain Read More »

OBJECTIVE Cancer patients suffering from severe refractory pain may benefit from targeted ablative neurosurgical procedures aimed to disconnect pain pathways in the spinal cord or the brain. These patients often present with a plethora of medical problems requiring careful consideration before surgical interventions. The authors present their experience at an interdisciplinary clinic aimed to facilitate …

Neurosurgical ablative procedures for intractable cancer pain Read More »

Pain is one of the most common symptoms among cancer patients, and particularly in those who suffer from metastatic or terminal disease. There is great importance in delivering good pain management to these patients in order to alleviate their suffering, improve their functional status and their overall quality of life. In most cases, pain management …

Neurosurgical Interventions For Intractable Oncological Pain Read More »

Background: Stereotactic anterior cingulotomy has been used in the treatment of patients suffering from refractory oncological pain due to its effects on pain perception. However, the optimal targets as well as suitable candidates and outcome measures have not been well defined. We report our initial experience in the ablation of 2 cingulotomy targets on each side …

Double Anterior Stereotactic Cingulotomy for Intractable Oncological Pain Read More »

Background: Pain is often one of the most debilitating symptoms in patients with advanced oncological disease. Patients with localized pain due to malignancy refractory to medical treatment can benefit from selective percutaneous cordotomy that disconnects the ascending pain fibers in the spinothalamic tract. Objectives: Over the past year, we have been performing percutaneous radiofrequency cordotomy with the …

O-Arm-Guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Cordotomy Read More »

Increasing demands on palliative care teams point to the need for continuous improvement to ensure teams are working collaboratively and efficiently. This quality improvement initiative focused on improving interprofessional team meeting efficiency and subsequently patient care. Meeting start and end times improved from a mean of approximately 9 and 6 minutes late in the baseline …

Improving Palliative Care Team Meetings: Structure, Inclusion, and “Team Care” Read More »

Background: Evidence from randomized controlled trials has demonstrated benefits in quality of life outcomes from early palliative care concurrent with standard oncology care in patients with advanced cancer. We hypothesized that there would be earlier referral to outpatient palliative care at a comprehensive cancer center following this evidence. Materials and methods: Administrative databases were reviewed for two …

Timing of Palliative Care Referral Before and After Evidence from Trials Supporting Early Palliative Care Read More »