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Paraplegia following coeliac plexus block
Franco De Conno1, Augusto Caraceni, Luca Aldrighetti
1Pain Therapy and Palliative Care Division National Cancer Institute, MilanItaly Departments of Clinical Surgery, University of Milan, Scientific Institute, San Raffaele Hospital, MilanItaly Departments of Clinical Neurology IV, University of Milan, Scientific Institute, San Raffaele Hospital, MilanItaly.
Abstract:
Coeliac plexus block (CPB) is one of the few neurolytic procedures that is still considered very useful in managing chronic cancer pain. We describe what we believe to be the fifth case in the literature of paraplegia following coeliac plexus block with ethyl alcohol. Clinical and neurophysiological examination confirmed the hypothesis of an acute myelopathy probably caused by ischemia due to involvement of Adamkievicz's artery. The seriousness of this neurological complication led us to review the different pain-relieving strategies in pancreatic cancer. Several medical and surgical procedures are available for advanced pancreatic cancer, yet none of them alone can be considered the therapy of choice for all cases. Hence, only a multidisciplinary approach to pancreatic cancer pain can help in making the most appropriate choice for each patient.