DREZ surgery for the treatment of the postherpetic intercostal neuralgia

Postherpetic intercostal neuralgia proved to be an incapacitating pain often recalcitrant to therapy. Acute pain that accompanied Herpes zoster usually subsides spontaneously but in 10% of patients the pain persists and intensifies. The incidence of postherpetic neuralgia incrises up to 50% among elder patients. We report the case of the two 42 and 48 yers old male patient who were succesfuly relieved from the chronic postherpetic intercostal neuralgia employing the DREZ surgery (Dorzal Root Entry Zone lesion). DREZ surgicall treatment of this pain should be considered when medical therapies failed in controling pain. Subjective sensory nature of the pain should play an important role in setting the indication for DREZ surgical treatment. The most favourable pain pattern for DREZ operation is the pain of intermittent rhythm, confined theritory accompanied with the phenomenon of alodinic pain that could be provoked from the pain theritory.