The Pain Unit at Parc Taulí has marked a turning point in the treatment of chronic pain by offering new therapeutic options to its patients. On March 7, professionals from the Pain Unit and specialists from the Intermutual Hospital of Euskadi successfully performed the first epiduroscopy on a 42-year-old patient with post-surgical adhesions who suffered from acute chronic pain refractory to all treatments. The intervention was a success, and after four hours the patient was able to go home.
In this way, Parc Taulí becomes a pioneering center using this minimally invasive procedure that allows direct visualization of the epidural space through the use of an endoscope.
Epiduroscopy is an advanced technique that allows the diagnosis and treatment of various pathologies related to lumbar pain, such as post-surgical adhesions - these are fibrous membranes that form between tissues as the body's response to aggressions that cause an inflammatory reaction, such as injuries that can occur during a surgical intervention.
The procedure involves the use of a flexible catheter, through which an optical fiber is inserted that allows the precise visualization of the nerve roots affected by the scars formed after a surgical intervention. Through the same device, a balloon catheter is inserted and specific substances are injected to release the adhesions mechanically and chemically, and free the nerve structures, thus relieving pain and reducing the need for more invasive interventions.
"This technique can be implemented in highly complex patients, preferably young and without mechanical arthrodesis, who suffer from pain that cannot be controlled and that has caused them to lose their quality of life. These are patients who cannot undergo surgery and who have already tried other treatments and therapies.”, explains Dr. Juan Vázquez, head of the clinical section for chronic and acute pain.
"The introduction of epiduroscopy as a new treatment offered by the Pain Unit positions us as a healthcare center of excellence and as one of the most pioneering units of healthcare centers in Catalonia and the State.”, assures the director of the Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Treatment service, Dr. Fernando Martínez.
This pioneering technique in Catalonia, which is being implemented in the Pain Unit and will be a central part of the upcoming Vallès Conference organized by Parc Taulí.
