Cancer patients at the Aga Khan University Hospital will now undergo new procedures to relieve chronic pain where all other methods and drugs have failed.
The hospital said the procedure, called neuromodulation, is performed on patients who have been suffering from persistent pain for at least two months with the underlying cause not having been found.
Dr Thikra Sharif, the head of the pain management unit unit, said neuromodulation refers to three different procedures.
He says the first is Spinal Cord Stimulator, which involves implanting a fine soft wire with electrical leads on its tip placed through a needle in the back close to the spinal column.
“A small incision is then made and a tiny, programmable generator with batteries that can last up to seven years placed in the upper buttock, or abdomen under the skin. This emits electrical currents to the spinal column which block pain signals hence giving relief to a patient,” he said.
The procedure is used as a last resort for both cancer and non-cancer patients when all other modes of treatment have failed and has not been performed elsewhere in East Africa.
Aga Khan has already performed the procedure on 43 patients.
Discover, Explore and Learn more via http://allafrica.com/stories/201504200870.html
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