cordotomy

Although cordotomy is effective in the relief of pain, the effect is usually temporary.

He was one of the first surgeons to perform lateral cordotomy for pain relief in the United Kingdom.

Procedures include neurectomy, cordotomy, dorsal root entry zone lesioning, and cingulotomy.

Anterolateral cordotomy is effective for relieving unilateral, somatic pain while bilateral cordotomies may be required for visceral or bilateral pain.

In Philadelphia, Dr. Edward Martin performed the first cordotomy on a human being for the relief of intractable pain, with the assistance of neurologist Dr. William Spiller.

Open cordotomy, which requires a laminectomy, is often risky for patients with poor medical conditions, but may be required if percutaneous cordotomy is not feasible or an attempt has failed.

Connoisseurs of serial killers will appreciate the gorgeous imagery of the playwright Gardner McKay's macabre first novel, TOYER (Little, Brown, $24), in which an "unimaginable" lunatic performs the gruesome surgical procedure of spinal cordotomy on his victims, cutting off their higher brain functions and leaving them neurologically drained.