Videothoracoscopic left splanchnicectomy in a patient with intractable pain due to advanced pancreatic cancer

ABSTRACT

Severe upper abdominal pain is a dominant and distressing feature of advanced pancreatic cancer. We performed videothoracoscopic left splanchnicectomy in a patient with intractable upper abdominal pain due to advanced pancreatic cancer. Pain was reduced significantly after the operation and the patient enjoyed consistent pain relief during the postoperative follow-up. The adequacy of the analgesic management improved, the patient did not require opioids. Unilateral left thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy is a simple, minimally invasive, effective, and safe procedure that can be recommended as the method of choice for the management of intractable pain due to advanced pancreatic cancer