Intraventricular morphine for control of pain in terminal cancer patients.

Satisfactory control of intractable pain has been achieved in 17 terminal cancer patients by injecting small doses of morphine into the lateral cerebral ventricle via an Ommaya reservoir. Pain relief together with a favorable behavioral response was obtained without interference with other sensory modalities, noticeable physical changes, or side effects annoying or severe enough for the patient to discontinue therapy. Eleven patients developed tolerance, but this phenomenon does not require withdrawal of treatment. Chronic intraventricular morphine administration can be safely performed on an outpatient basis, and results in control of midline, bilateral, and diffuse pain associated with orofacial and disseminated cancer. However, this experience is preliminary and further clinical trials are needed to determine the place of this method of therapy in the management of chronic pain.

Intrathecal therapy: rationale, technique, clinical results.

In 35 patients a subcutaneously implanted injection port/reservoir was used to provide intrathecal morphine to relieve pain due to cancer. The reservoir offers an alternative to rather expensive devices. It can be used for repeated injections or for infusion. It is easy to locate and facilitates ambulatory treatment. The injections were carried out by members of the patient's family after they had been taught how to do it. Initially, doses of 0.25-0.5 mg of morphine resulted in pain relief for 14 to 24 hours. After 5 weeks of treatment morphine requirements increased to 0.75-2 mg. Side-effects were minimal, and three delayed CSF fistula, two of them confirmed by isotope tracking with Tc99m, closed spontaneously.

Intraventricular morphine for intractable cancer pain: rationale, methods, clinical results.

The experience with the administration of intraventricular morphine for the control of malignant pain in 197 patients is analyzed. Small doses of morphine injected via a ventricular reservoir provided satisfactory control of otherwise intractable pain in terminal cancer-patients. Complete analgesia together with a favourable behavioral response was obtained without noticeable neurological changes or side-effects annoying or severe enough for the patients to discontinue therapy. Tolerance was much less marked than with parenteral opiates. Chronic intraventricular therapy can be safely performed on an outpatient basis by injecting the opiate once or twice a day. The method may be improved by using refillable continuous-infusion devices and new drugs, able to retain the analgesic effects of morphine while eliminating the unwanted ones.