Surgical palliation of intractable abdominal pain by bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy

Patients with unresectable supramesenteric malignancies often suffer from intractable pain. The supramesenteric viscera are supplied by the greater splanchnic nerve. Surgical options to effectively denervate the supramesenteric area are coeliac ganglionectomy, open or percutaneous coeliac ganglion block or transhiatal bilateral splanchnicotomy. The surgical minimally invasive alternative is thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy. In 7 patients pain was scored on a scale from 1 (no pain) to 10 (maximal pain) before and after surgery and weekly thereafter. Five bilateral and 2 left-sided thoracoscopic splanchnicectomies were performed. Operation time was 17 +/- 3 min for each side. The mean pain score dropped from preoperatively (under morphine sulphate medication) 7.4 +/- 0.6 to 4.9 (2.25-8.25) 1 week postoperatively (p = 0.02) and to 4.9 (2.5-6.75) 7 weeks postoperatively (p = 0.02). The relief from back pain was immediate and complete, but abdominal pain tended to recur. Six of our 7 patients and their general practitioners rated the intervention as a success. Thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy affords excellent palliation in patients with unresectable supramesenteric tumour, offering reliable pain control.