Combined thermocoagulation of the 5th and 9th cranial nerves for oral pain of neoplastic aetiology.

The authors report their limited but interesting experience in the treatment of intractable oral pain employing the technique of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation both of the trigeminal and glossopharyngeal nerves. The use of combined percutaneous thermolesions for cancer pain is rarely described in the literature. Immediate and long-term results confirm the usefulness of this surgical procedure.