Intercostal bundle-splitting thoracotomy reduces chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

Intercostal nerve damage is the probable cause of chronic post-thoracotomy pain, but the precise mechanism is not known. To reduce this pain, we devised a simple method of rib spreading and closure (intercostal bundle-splitting thoracotomy), which avoids the intercostal nerve during thoracotomy, and then verified its effectiveness. The devised method appears to result in less chronic pain than the conventional method.