Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40716439›Full record

ArticleStereotactic and functional neurosurgery2026

Stereotactic Focused Ultrasound Mesencephalotomy for the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer Pain.

W Jeffrey Elias, Chang-Chia Liu, Divine Nwafor, Patrick H Finan, Mark Quigg, Shayan Moosa

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In one paragraph

Article in Stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

W Jeffrey EliasDepartments of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, wje4r@uvahealth.org.
Chang-Chia LiuDepartments of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Divine NwaforDepartments of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Patrick H FinanDepartments of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Mark QuiggDepartments of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Shayan MoosaDepartments of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.

Funding

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound for Head and Neck Cancer Pain. A Pilot StudyUH3NS115118 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI ELIAS, WILLIAM JEFFREY · 2019 to 2023
$1.6M
NINDS NIH HHS UH3 NS115118
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHistorically, stereotactic mesencephalotomy was developed as a "supraspinal" cordotomy for cancer and neuropathic pain. Early experiences relieved pain, but the procedure was never widely adopted because of the associated morbidity with midbrain lesioning. Contemporary image-guided lesioning could make this a feasible procedure for cancer patients suffering with pain.

methodsA single-center, nonrandomized, early phase trial was designed to treat patients with severe, refractory pain from head and neck cancer with unilateral MRI-guided focused ultrasound mesencephalotomy. Safety was the primary outcome, but measures of efficacy were assessed with pain intensity and more functional components of pain.

resultsA discrete midbrain lesion was created for the 5 patients. All patients with advanced cancer had limited survival of less than 3 months, but they tolerated the procedure and experienced pain relief to different degrees. Two had profound pain relief, one was partial, and two others were very brief. One patient was transiently obtunded and other procedural morbidities were mild: numbness (3), oculomotor disturbance (1), and agitation (1). Electroencephalography, somatosensory evoked potentials, and quantitative sensory testing were obtained when possible.

conclusionStereotactic focused ultrasound mesencephalotomy is a modern, image-guided, lesioning technique that may be effective for cancer pain.

Indexed as

Cancer PainHead and Neck NeoplasmsMesencephalonStereotaxic TechniquesAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementTreatment OutcomeCancer painDorsal midbrainFocused ultrasoundHead and neck cancerMesencephalotomy

Identifiers

PMID40716439
PMCPMC12406951

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.