Surg Neurol
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Pain secondary to unresectable pancreatic cancer is frequently severe and extremely difficult to control with traditional methods of analgesia. This retrospective study reports the analgesic effects of intrathecal morphine sulfate by implanted infusion pumps in nine patients with unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. ⋯ This series of nine patients indicates that long-term administration of intrathecal morphine via implanted infusion pump in patients with pancreatic cancer is both efficacious and safe. All patients and their families reported an improved quality of life with an increased level of activity.
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Intra-arterial papaverine (IAP) has been described as a treatment for cerebral vasospasm refractory to standard therapy. ⋯ Intra-arterial papaverine resulted in reversal of arterial narrowing in the majority of cases (78%). However, this angiographic improvement was associated with cerebral blood flow augmentation in only 46% of cases analyzed, and major clinical improvement in 26%.