Intracerebroventricular application of morphine in the treatment of intractable malignant pain.

The authors' own experience with the application of morphine into the lateral cerebral ventricles of patients with intractable pain of tumorous origin is reported. The Salmon-Rickham reservoir implanted under the skin with a ventricular catheter inserted into the right lateral ventricle of the brain, allows easy and repeated application of small doses of the opiate (opioid) analgesic. This approach brings the pain relieving effect that make this method beneficial to patients suffering from chronic malignant pain in the preterminal stages of the disease.