United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi!
Does anyone know anything about the surgical proceduce "DREZotomy" and its potential use as a treatment for brachial plexus injury?

My fiancee suffered complete nerve avlusion of his right arm in January of 2001. He has been taking 6000mg Neurontin, 100mg Nortryptline, and 75mg Topamax daily. He still suffers from unbearable pain! He has tried the spinal cord stimulator implant - did not work and subsequently removed. He currently has been implanted with a cortex stimulator with a very small degree of pain relief. The next procedure proposed is the DREZotomy! We were wondering if anyone has had the procedure and what we are to expect?

Thanks in advance,
Janice

Hi Janice

There are several people in the U.K. TBPI group who have had this procedure. I will gladly pass on your email address, with your permission.

There are many reports and studies on the internet, most of which you will find here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/ ... b=m&Dopt=m
These will at least give you an indication of what to expect.
Here in the U.K. it is considered only after many other methods of pain control have been tried, as it is considered quite a risky procedure; simply put, it involves burning or cauterising the avulsed nerve endings on the spinal cord. It seems like your fiancee has tried many of the 'usual' painkillers, although I do have to say that the pain does naturally decrease over time; the pain is usually at it's worst in the first 2 years or so. Has your fiancee had any surgery such as nerve grafting? This can help the pain quite a bit in most cases.

Let me know if you would like me to put you in touch with someone who has undergone this surgery....my email is liz@tbpi-group.org

Take care;

Liz B

hi there the D.R.E.Z. (Dorsel Root Entry Zone) procedure is where the doc goes in to where the nerves were avulsed and burns with a hot needle. 70 degrees for 10 seconds. trying to cauterize the nerve endings, thus eliminating nerve pain. spose to be the last resort as the effects are irreversible. i had a D.R.E.Z. procudure performed, unfortunatly, for me the shots of pain were gone only until the swelling went down. if you decide to go this route, be prepared for a 1.5 to a 2 month recovery. very painfull. there is also a good chance that the leg on the affected side can lose a percentage of use. i went down to about 60%. like the nerve pain, it returned fully.
the surgery takes about 6 hrs. they cut open the back of your neck, pull out vertabrea, burn in about 100 places, they put back together. i woke up with 28 staples, about a 10 inch incision. i found the craziest thing was i had my surgery on a thurs. and was discharged on sunday.
i was called back for a second scheduled surgery to burn hotter and longer, with a larger risk to my leg. i turned it down for now. not prepped financially or mentally to be down for 2 months.
well i hope this shed some light for you.
Denny, Vancouver.