Consultants

Pain Unit

The Pain Unit is part of our Anaesthesiology Service, and it is dedicated to attending and providing special care to patients during surgical procedures and other processes that are part of cancer treatments.

The unit is also responsible for treating acute pain following surgery or medical procedures and for treating chronic pain through imaging techniques (X-ray, ultrasound, CT) that can locate the processes that trigger pain and treat by intervention if necessary.

In cancer patients, our priority is immediate pain relief, always based on patient assessment and with a focus on multidisciplinary treatment. Treatments may be pharmacological or non-pharmacological.

Non-pharmacological methods and treatments

▪ Treatment for herniated discs and spine pain
▪ ▪ Herniated disc decompression
▪ ▪ Treatment of sciatica from damage at the nerve root

 

▪ Epidural: Transforaminal and translaminar treatment of radicular pain

 

▪ Epidurolysis or dissolution of fibrosis in the epidural space

 

▪ Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

 

▪ Percutaneous electrical stimulation of the peripheral nerves

 

▪ Stimulation of peripheral nerves

 

▪ Spinal stimulation of posterior cords

 

▪ Subcutaneous and peripheral stimulation

 

▪ Tunnelled catheter insertion

 

▪ Subcutaneous reservoir implantation

 

▪ Implantation of internal infusion pumps for medication delivery

 

▪ Trigger point injections with local anaesthetic

 

▪ Trigger point injections with botulinum toxin

 

▪ Iontophoresis

 

▪ Plexus: Treatments
▪ ▪ Sphenopalatine ganglion
▪ ▪ Trigeminal or Gasser ganglion
▪ ▪ Stellate ganglion
▪ ▪ Sympathetic lumbar plexus
▪ ▪ Ganglion of Walther

 

▪ Intravenous infusion therapy

 

▪ Neurolytic therapy

 

▪ Treatments for sympathetic nervous system control
▪ ▪ Stellate ganglion
▪ ▪ Lumbar sympathetic system