Abstract
Chest wall pain affects many patients following chest surgery, fractures, or malignancies,
and can be very difficult to manage with normal pharmacologic agents. Intercostal
ablation provides one alternative treatment modality for patients suffering from intercostal
pain. Intercostal cryoneurolysis involves using extreme cold to cause Wallerian degeneration
of the targeted intercostal nerve. This article reviews the patient selection, technique,
and complications in the utilization of intercostal neurolysis in the treatment of
intractable chest pain.
Keywords
intercostal cryoneurolysis - nerve ablation - interventional radiology - pain management
