Celiac plexus neurolysis for the treatment of upper abdominal cancer pain

Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira, Eloy Rusafa Neto, José Cláudio Marinho da Nóbrega, Jairo Silva dos Ângelos, Miguel San Martin, Bernardo Assumpção de Monaco, Erich Talamoni FonoffDepartment of Neurology, Division of Functional Neurosurgery of the Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, BrazilAbstract: Optimal treatment of oncologic pain is a challenge to all professionals who deal with cancer and its complications. The management of upper abdominal pain is usually difficult and it is often refractory to conservative therapies. In this context, celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) appears to be an important and indispensable tool because it alleviates pain, gives comfort to patients and is a safe procedure. In this study, the importance of CPN is reviewed by a retrospective study of 74 patients with pain due to upper abdominal cancer. Almost all cases evaluated (94.6%) had an excellent result after CPN and the majority of side effects were transitory.Keywords: pain, celiac plexus, alcohol neurolysis, cancer