HOW FREQUENT IS ANESTHESIA-DOLOROSA FOLLOWING SPINAL POSTERIOR RHIZOTOMY - A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF 15 PATIENTS

Anesthesia dolorosa has been considered an unfrequent complication of spinal posterior rhizotomy. We reviewed the data of all patients who u nderwent rhizotomy between 1962 and 1972 (15 cases). Thirteen were aff ected by cancer and 2 by non-neoplastic conditions. Eight developed a typical deafferentation pain (i.e., anesthesia dolorosa) (53%) while 3 who were found to have a brain (frontal 2; parietal 1) metastasis did not. Anesthesia dolorosa developed 1.5-8 months after rhizotomy. We c onclude that anesthesia dolorosa following rhizotomy is more frequent than usually stated and that rhizotomy should be restricted to patient s with a less than 3-month life expectancy.