Bilateral thoracic sympathectomy splanchnicectomy in the treatment of intractable pain due to pancreatic carcinoma

56 Patients with intractable abdominal or back pain, or both, due to pancreatic carcinoma, underwent bilateral thoracic sympathectomy and splanchnicectomy. 70% of these patients had good or complete relief of pain as defined in this study: 23% of those with good or complete relief, experienced some recurrence or increase in pain, but this was usually in the long term survivors (average 11 mth), and was not usually severe. Overall operative mortality in this series of patients subjected to both bilateral splanchnicectomy and at least to exploratory laparotomy, was 7%.