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73. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC)
Joint Meeting mit der Griechischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

29.05. - 01.06.2022, Köln

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Neuropathic pain after spinal intradural benign tumour surgery – an underestimated complication?

Neuropathische Schmerzen nach intraduraler spinaler Tumorchirurgie: eine unterschätzte Komplikation?

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  • presenting/speaker Vicki Butenschoen - Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, München, Deutschland
  • Annika Nehiba - Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, München, Deutschland
  • Bernhard Meyer - Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, München, Deutschland
  • Maria Wostrack - Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, München, Deutschland

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 73. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Griechischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Köln, 29.05.-01.06.2022. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2022. DocP017

doi: 10.3205/22dgnc331, urn:nbn:de:0183-22dgnc3318

Published: May 25, 2022

© 2022 Butenschoen et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Outline

Text

Objective: Neuropathic pain may present a burdening and impairing condition after spinal intradural tumor surgery. While it has been described in peripheral nerve sheath tumors, data on other intradural tumor patients remains sparse. We hereby present a large cohort population undergoing different intradural spinal tumor surgery with assessment of early postoperative and follow-up outcomes, focusing on the occurrence of neuropathic pain.

Methods: Retrospective monocentric study including all patients treated for intradural spinal tumors between 2009 and 2020. We extracted surgical data as well as pre- and postoperative clinical courses from the records. Statistical analysis of potential contributing prognostic factors was performed.

Results: In total, we included 360 patients for analysis. At a median follow-up of two years, 26/360 patients complained of a neuropathic pain syndrome (7.2%) requiring continuous pain medication. Of these patients only 50% complained preoperatively of pain. Tumor entity did not significantly influence the incidence of postoperative neuropathic pain (p=0.91). Sacrifice of the tumor carrying nerve root and tumor recurrence also did not increase the risk for this condition.

Conclusion: Persistent neuropathic pain requiring continuous treatment occurred in 7.2% of patients undergoing intradural spinal surgery in our cohort. This frequently underestimated postoperative adverse event represents a disabling condition leading to a substantial impairment in the quality of life among the affected patients.