Techniques of Neurolysis

Gabor B. Racz, MD, ChB, DABPM, FIPP Grover E. Murray Professor, and Chairman Emeritus, Department of Anesthesiology; Co-Director of Pain Services, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA Carl Edward Noe, M.D. Professor and Fellowship Director, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, UT Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas, USA Dr. Racz is a professor and chairman emeritus in the department of anesthesiology, and co-director of pain services, at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). He is also one of the founders of the World Institute of Pain and was president of the institute from 2005-2008. In 1989, he developed the procedure of epidural lysis of adhesions (also known as the Racz Procedure) and developed the Racz catheter. Dr. Noe is a professor and the director of the fellowship in Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is also on the faculty for the Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice certification offered by the World Institute of Pain.

1. Introduction.- 2. Epidural lysis of adhesions.- 3. Trigeminal radiofrequency techniques.- 4. Stellate phenol block.- 5. Thoracic and lumbar sympathetic radiofrequency neurolysis.- 6. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar facet denervation.- 7. Celiac neurolytic techniques.- 8. Hypogastric plexus neurolysis.- 9. Ilioinguinal neurolysis.- 10. Phenol, Ethanol and other chemical techniques.- 11. Cryoneurolysis techniques.- 12. Emerging Pulsed Radiofrequency techniques.- 13. Complementary techniques: stimulation, pharmacology.- 14. Evidenced based neurolytic techniques.