Spinothalamic fibres, pain conduction and cordotomy.

Description of four cases of cordotomy for intractable pain in which autopsy could be performed. In two of the cases the lesion had been placed (unintentionally) in the posterior quadrant of the spinal cord with good results as to the abolishing of pain. It is concluded that the conduction of pain and temperature stimuli is not restricted to the anterolateral part of the spinal cord but that this conduction may also take place along fibres in the posterolateral quadrant. A further conclusion is that the results of cordotomy are related to the number of cut fibres.