Relief from chronic pelvic pain through surgical lesions of the conus medullaris dorsal root entry zone.

Dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesions are effective in treating specific pain syndromes, most notably post-brachial plexus avulsion. There is limited experience, however, with lesions in the conus medullaris. We review the case of a patient having pelvic pain and urinary retention who failed to improve despite multiple prior interventions. Her pain was completely relieved after DREZ lesions were placed bilaterally at S2, S3, S4 and S5. The intraoperative sensory and motor evoked potential monitoring used to define the level is described in detail.