The surgical intervention for pain management, which involves cutting a nerve root to relieve pain, is called:

ESIC Nursing Officer -2019 (Shift -1)

Medical & Surgical Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: ESIC Nursing Officer -2019 (Shift -1)

Explanation

Rhizotomy is a neurosurgical procedure that specifically involves the division or cutting of spinal nerve roots to interrupt pain signals.
The term is derived from Greek roots: 'rhizo' meaning root and 'tomy' meaning to cut, which directly describes the action performed.
This procedure is used to treat chronic, severe pain and spasticity when other treatments have failed by destroying the problematic nerve fibers.
As per the nursing fundamentals textbook, rhizotomy involves the division of spinal roots to create a lesion that destroys neuronal dysfunction.

Option A: Cordotomy involves the division of spinal tracts within the spinal cord itself, not the nerve roots that exit the cord.
Option B: Radiofrequency ablation uses heat generated by an electrical current to destroy nerve tissue (denervation), not surgically cut the nerve root.
Option C: Cryoanalgesia, or cryoablation, uses extreme cold to freeze and temporarily disable a nerve. It does not involve surgically severing the nerve root.

Visual 1: Diagram - A cross-section of the spinal column illustrating the difference between a rhizotomy (severing the nerve root after it exits the spinal cord) and a cordotomy (creating a lesion within the tracts of the spinal cord). This visual clarifies the precise anatomical targets of each procedure.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Surgical interventions for pain management helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Post-procedure, the nurse's primary role is to perform meticulous neurological assessments, monitoring for changes in sensation, motor strength, and bowel or bladder function, as these can indicate complications.
Rhizotomy is considered a procedure of last resort for patients with intractable pain that has not responded to conservative measures like medications, physical therapy, or less invasive nerve blocks.
What if? If a patient's pain was diffuse and not traceable to a specific nerve root (e.g., fibromyalgia), a rhizotomy would be ineffective. In that case, treatment would focus on systemic medications, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, or central-acting neuromodulation like spinal cord stimulation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core action and anatomical structure described in the question: 'cutting a nerve root'.
Analyze the medical terminology in the options. Break down the words into their component parts: prefix, root, and suffix.
Recognize that 'rhizo-' is the medical prefix for 'root' and '-tomy' is the suffix for 'to cut'.
Combine the parts: 'Rhizotomy' literally translates to 'cutting the root', which directly matches the question's description.
Differentiate this from other options. 'Cordo-' refers to the spinal cord, so 'Cordotomy' is cutting the cord. 'Ablation' and 'analgesia' describe different mechanisms (destruction by energy, pain relief by cold) rather than surgical cutting.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QeqrFagq-Hn6Hp0BX1aA-L