Dorsal root entry zone lesions in the treatment of pain following brachial plexus avulsion, spinal cord injury and herpes zoster

This paper details the long-term results in patients treated with dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesions for the treatment of pain following brachial plexus avulsion, spinal cord injury, and herpes zoster. With our current operative technique, 82% of patients with brachial plexus avulsion injuries were afforded long-term pain relief. Patients with pain confined to dermatomes just below the level of spinal injury also did well with DREZ lesions, although the results were less good in patients with diffuse pain or with sacral pain. The postoperative results in patients with postherpetic pain were disappointing.