Clinical trials for abatement of intractable
pelvic cancer pain were conducted in two patients, each electing surgical implantation of one of two
indwelling catheter systems for administration of
morphine into the spinal epidural space. Both systems, one consisting of a partially indwelling Broviac
catheter, and the other, completely indwelling, consisting of a
morphine reservoir connected to a shunt pump and on-off Hakim valve assembly, permitted the patients to return home where they could self-administer epidural
morphine. Each patient reported that 2 mg of epidural
morphine provided 8 to 12 hours of
pain relief at a level of superior to their previous
narcotic medication. On a regimen of 2 mg of epidural
morphine administered twice daily, both patients experienced
analgesia for 6 months, unaccompanied by alterations in sensory, motor, or cognitive functioning, and with a little drug tolerance reaction.