[What surgical indications remain in the treatment of pain?].

Abstract

26 out of 39 pain treatment centres answered a questionnaire about surgical management of chronic pain. 12,715 patients have been seen during 1992, suffering mainly from lumbosciatalgia, peripheral nervous system lesions (20% of iatrogenic origins) or cancer pain. 1,635 underwent a surgical procedure on: lumbar chain (520), Vth cranial nerve (448), spinal cord (225 electrical stimulations), splanchnic nerves (171). Ablative surgery on somatic nerves retains only minor indications, in contrast to an increase in the frequency of stimulation techniques.