Percutaneous CT-guided cordotomy for pain
Channel: American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Date: 25/03/2021

Percutaneous CT-guided cordotomy for pain

M. Benjamin Larkin, MD, PharmD, Robert Y. North, MD, PhD, and Ashwin Viswanathan, MD

Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

Cordotomy has evolved since the first open procedure by Spiller and the first percutaneous radiofrequency cordotomyby Mullan in 1965. Today, the minimally invasive, CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency cordotomy is mostly used forthe palliative management of medically intractable somatic pain related to malignancy in well-selected patients. The riskof adverse events is minimized with the use of intraoperative stimulation monitoring. This video highlights the spinal cordanatomy at the level of C1–2, the approach to patient selection, the associated risks and benefits, and, finally, the proceduralsetup and key steps involved in this unique neurosurgical procedure.

https://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2020.5.FOCVID209


**Intro music: "Daybreak" by Graeme Rosner