BACKGROUND: Morphine has been commonly used for postoperative pain control. We measured plasma concentrations of morphine and compared the efficacy and safety of continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) using morphine-bupivacaine with intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) with morphine for 48 hrs after the end of the operation. METHODS: Nineteen patients undergoing Mile's operation were assigned to receive a morphine loading dose of 5 mg followed by IV-PCA with 0.1% morphine (IV-PCA group, n = 9) or a morphine loading dose of 2 mg and 0.125% bupivacaine 10 ml, followed by CEA with 0.004% morphine and 0.075% bupivacaine at a rate of 5 ml/hr (CEA group, n = 10). The plasma concentrations of morphine were measured and visual analog scales (VAS) for pain were recorded at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hr postoperatively and the effects on respiration and any other side effects were noted. RESULTS: The mean maximal and minimal levels of plasma morphine were 40.2 +/- 21.2 ng/ml and 23.4 +/- 9.7 ng/ml for the IV-PCA group and 11.8 +/- 3.5 ng/ml and 8.2 +/- 1.9 ng/ml for the CEA group, respectively. Resting and dynamic pain scores were significantly lower in the CEA group than in the IV-PCA group. There were no significant differences for the effects on respiration and for any side effects between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We evaluated plasma concentrations of morphine with CEA using morphine-bupivacaine and IV-PCA using morphine for the postoperative pain control. The CEA group had better postoperative analgesia than that of the IV-PCA group and the incidence of side effects were not significantly different between the two groups.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Epidural ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Bupivacaine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Morphine ; Pain, Postoperative ; Plasma ; Respiration ; Weights and Measures

Foraminal or extraforaminal Far Lateral Disc Herniations (FLDH) extending into or beyond the foraminal zone have been recognized as between 7-12% of all lumbosacral disc herniations. Conventional posterior laminectomy may not provide good access to a herniation that lies far lateral to the lateral margin of the pedicle. Use of the endoscopic technique through a percutaneous approach to treat such FLDH patients can decrease the surgical morbidity while achieving better outcomes. We made an effort to utilize the advantages of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) and to determine the appropriate approach for FLDH at the level between the 5th Lumbar and first Sacral vertebrae(L5-S1). The authors present a case of an endoscopically resected lumbar extruded disc of the left extraforaminal zone with superior foraminal migration at the level of L5-S1, which had led to foot drop, while placing the endoscope in the anterior epidural space without facetectomy.
Anesthesia, Local ; Diskectomy* ; Diskectomy, Percutaneous ; Endoscopes ; Endoscopy ; Epidural Space ; Foot* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Laminectomy ; Low Back Pain

BACKGROUND: A properly placed epidural catheter tip may become displaced out of the epidural space after being secured as a result of patient movement, a common cause of inadequate analgesia. This study was performed to evaluate the migration of an epidural catheter with patient movement. METHODS: Forty-six parturients planning to undergo a cesarean section under epidural anesthesia were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups according to body mass index (BMI): 26 kg/m2. A 19-gauge single-orifice epidural catheter (Flextip Plus(TM), Arrow, USA) was inserted at the L(2-3) or L(3-4) interspace with the patient in the sitting flexed position. The distance to the epidural space and length of catheter position change was measured before the catheter was secured to the skin, as the patient moved from the sitting flexed to sitting upright and then to the lateral decubitus position with flexion and extension. RESULTS: Catheters were drawn inward with position change from the sitting flexed to lateral decubitus position, the magnitude increasing with BMI (0.73 +/- 0.40 cm vs. 0.98 +/- 0.35 cm). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the indrawing of the catheter with reference to the skin occurs as a patient changes position, and this indrawing can result in catheter dislodgement out of the epidural space.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Body Mass Index ; Catheters* ; Cesarean Section ; Epidural Space ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Skin

Sympathetic dysfunction is one of the possible complications of anterior spine surgery; however, it has been underestimated as a cause of complications. We report two successful experiences of treating severe dysesthetic pain occurring after anterior spine surgery, by performing a sympathetic block. The first patient experienced a burning and stabbing pain in the contralateral upper extremity of approach side used in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, and underwent a stellate ganglion block with a significant relief of his pain. The second patient complained of a cold sensation and severe unexpected pain in the lower extremity of the contralateral side after anterior lumbar interbody fusion and was treated with lumbar sympathetic block. We aimed to describe sympathetically maintained pain as one of the important causes of early postoperative pain and the treatment option chosen for these cases in detail.
Burns ; Diskectomy ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Pain, Postoperative ; Sensation ; Spine* ; Stellate Ganglion ; Upper Extremity

Post-herpetic neuralgia is the most frequent and feared complication of herpes zoster and is a common cause of chronic intractable pain in the elderly population. An 80 year old man who had suffered from intractable post-herpetic neuralgia received a percutaneous permanant spinal cord stimulator (ITREL3 Neurostimulator-Model 7425, Medtronic, USA) implantation. After implantation, he could sleep without interference of frequent acute sharp attacks of pain and showed improved daily life. We may suggest that this procedure could be applied for several kinds of intractable pain of neuropathic origin, including post-herpetic neuralgia, failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, peripheral vascular disease and chronic intractable angina, after careful selection of the patient.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Failed Back Surgery Syndrome ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Neuralgia* ; Pain, Intractable ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Spinal Cord Stimulation* ; Spinal Cord*

BACKGROUND: Propofol and thiopental sodium are short acting drugs and used as intravenous anesthetics for oocyte retrieval. Anesthetics administered during oocyte retrieval can pass into the follicular fluids and exert a detrimental effect on oocyte fertilizability. The aim of this study was to investigate the exposed concentration and time effect of these drugs on fertilization and early embryo development in a mouse in vitro fertilization (IVF) model. METHODS: Mouse oocytes were exposed in vitro to propofol at 0 (control), 0.09, 0.45, 2.3, 4.5microgram/ml and thiopental sodium at 0 (control), 0.2, 1, 5, 10microgram/ml for 10, 30, 60 minutes, washed, and inseminated. Thereafter, fertilization was assessed. Subsequent in vitro development to the hatched embryo was monitored daily. RESULTS: We found a concentration and time dependent toxic effect of propofol on the fertilizability of oocytes and early embryo development. The fertilization rate of mouse oocytes exposed for 30 minutes to medium containing 0.09microgram/ml of propofol was significantly lower than the control. The fertilization and hatching rate of mouse oocytes exposed for 10 minutes to medium containing 0.45microgram/ml of propofol was not lower than the control. We did not find a toxic effect of thiopental sodium on fertilization, but the hatching rate of fertilized oocytes exposed to medium containing thiopental sodium was significantly lower than the control. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the oocyte retrieval procedure should be done as quickly as possible in order to limit the toxic effect of these anesthetics.
Anesthetics ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; Animals ; Embryonic Development* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Fertilization* ; Follicular Fluid ; Mice* ; Oocyte Retrieval ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Propofol* ; Thiopental*

Lymphedema of the upper limb after breast cancer surgery is a disease that carries a life-long risk and is difficult to cure once it occurs despite the various treatments which have been developed. Two patients were referred from general surgery department for intractable lymphedema. They were treated with stellate ganglion blocks (SGBs), and the circumferences of the mid-point of their each upper and lower arms were measured on every visit to the pain clinic. A decrease of the circumference in each patient was observed starting after the second injection. A series of blocks were established to maintain a prolonged effect. Both patients were satisfied with less swelling and pain. This case demonstrates the benefits of an SGB for intractable upper limb lymphedema.
Arm ; Autonomic Nerve Block ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Lymphedema* ; Mastectomy ; Nerve Block ; Pain Clinics ; Stellate Ganglion* ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND: The objective was to evaluate the distance from the skin and the diameter of the piriformis muscle and their relationship to the body mass index (BMI). METHODS: The study was a prospective study involving 60 patients. Patients were prepared on a radiological table in the prone position. Several images were obtained of each. In this view, the distance between the subcutaneous tissue and the piriformis muscle, and the diameter of the piriformis, were measured at three points (medially to laterally). RESULTS: The distance to the piriformis from the skin was 6.6 +/- 0.9 cm, 6.3 +/- 0.8 cm, and 5.2 +/- 0.9 cm in terms of the lateral, center, and medial measurement, respectively. The center of the piriformis had a greater diameter with 1.7 +/- 0.4 (0.9-2.5) cm. The distance to the piriformis increased with BMI. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the lateral of the piriformis muscle has a relatively greater distance from the skin. The center of the piriformis showed a greater diameter than other two portions. We found that the distance of the piriformis from subcutaneous tissues was correlated with BMI, but the diameter of the piriformis was not affected by BMI. These measurements can be used as a reference for determining the piriformis injection site in patients with piriformis syndrome.
Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Muscles ; Piriformis Muscle Syndrome ; Prone Position ; Prospective Studies ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue

BACKGROUND: Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a treatment modality that alleviates radicular pain by intermittently applying high-frequency currents adjacent to the dorsal root ganglion. There has been no comparative study on analgesic effect according to the position of the needle tip in PRF treatment. The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcomes of PRF according to the needle tip position. METHODS: Patients were classified into 2 groups (group IP [group inside of pedicle] and group OP [group outside of pedicle]) based on needle tip position in the anteroposterior view of fluoroscopy. In the anteroposterior view, the needle tip was advanced medially further than the lateral aspect of the corresponding pedicle in group IP; however, in group OP, the needle tip was not advanced. The treatment outcomes and pain scores were evaluated at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after applying PRF. RESULTS: At 4, 8, and 12 weeks, there were no significant differences between the successful response rate and numerical rating scale score ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The analgesic efficacy of PRF treatment did not differ with the needle tip position.
Analgesics ; Fluoroscopy ; Ganglia, Spinal ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Lumbosacral Region ; Needles ; Observational Study ; Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment ; Radiculopathy ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Nerve Roots

Metastatic spinal tumors are usually quite difficult to treat. In patients with metastatic spinal tumors, conventional radiotherapy fails to relieve pain in 20-30% of cases and open surgery often causes considerable trauma and complications, which delays treatment of the primary disease. Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is considered to be useful in achieving rapid pain control and preventing further vertebral collapse due to spinal metastasis. However, symptoms of intraspinal neural compression can be contraindications to PVP. To overcome this problem, we performed PVP following targeted bipolar radiofrequency decompression, and examined the effect of the combined treatment in relieving severe radicular pain related to spinal cord compression caused by malignant metastatic tumors.
Decompression* ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Radiotherapy ; Spinal Cord Compression ; Spine ; Vertebroplasty*