PMID: 16623345Apr 21, 2006Paper

Coeliac plexus block in patients with pancreatic tumour pain

Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
J H Vranken, M H van der Vegt

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer tends to be diagnosed at a relatively late stage of the disease when curative resection is precluded. In view of the poor prognosis and the severe pain, palliative care should be aimed at providing adequate pain relief and optimal quality of life. Pancreatic cancer pain is primarily treated by the combination of NSAIDs, adjuvant analgesic drugs, and oral or transdermal opioids. The neurolytic coeliac plexus block is recommended as adjuvant therapy for the palliative treatment of pancreatic cancer pain. In addition quality of life, especially functional and physical aspects, is significantly improved in patients following a coeliac plexus block. The most common approach to the coeliac plexus is the percutaneous posterior technique. Serious complications that may follow application of this technique include sensory disorders, muscle weakness and paraparesis. More recently, new techniques such as thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy and endoscopic ultrasound-guided coeliac plexus block have emerged as efficient alternatives in terms of pain relief and quality-of-life improvement. The neurolytic coeliac plexus block has become a well-developed method of pain relief in patients with pain resulting from malignancies of th...Continue Reading

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