Definition
Dorsal root ganglionectomy and dorsal rhizotomy are neuroablative procedures, which interrupt peripheral sensory pathways. Dorsal root ganglionectomy is the surgical removal of the dorsal root ganglion of a spinal nerve. Dorsal rhizotomy is the transection of the dorsal root of a spinal nerve.
Characteristics
Anatomy
The primary sensory afferents project proximally (via the dorsal root) to form synapses in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord or the dorsal column nuclei, with pseudobipolar cell bodies of these axons being located in the dorsal root ganglion. The traditional belief, established by the “Law of Bell and Magendie” is that for a given spinal nerve, sensory and motor functions are segregated in the dorsal and ventral roots, respectively. However, it is now clear that afferent sensory fibers are also found in the ventral roots, with up to 29 % of fibers in human ventral...
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References
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Belzberg, A.J., Dorsi, M.J. (2013). Dorsal Root Ganglionectomy and Dorsal Rhizotomy. In: Gebhart, G.F., Schmidt, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pain. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_1187
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_1187
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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