Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.22.25 (chymopapain)
 430 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The authors report their experience with 60 patients treated for lumbar disc herniation by chemonucleolysis with chymopapain and followed-up 1 to 3 years after treatment. Long-term results were as follows: excellent: 50%; good: 40%; fair: 8.2%; poor: 1.8%. The high percentage of positive results is attributed to the rigid criteria for patient selection used, which resulted in treatment by chemonucleolysis in only 18.6% of the surgical cases of lumbar disc pathology observed. 27.2% of the patients treated complained of disorders which resulted in postoperative complications and/or prolonged convalescence: prolonged low back pain and vertebral stiffness in 20%, persistent contralateral sciatic pain in 5.4%; intense but transitory worsening of the sciatica in 1.8%. The most feared complication of chemonucleolysis is paraplegia occurring after the inadverted injection of the enzyme into the spinal fluid. This risk overshadows the positive attributes of the method. The most important advantage of chemonucleolysis, as compared with surgery, is that it avoids epidural scarring and permanent postoperative anatomical changes. Patients may benefit from these advantages, but they must be willing to accept the negative aspects of the method, as well.
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PMID:Chemonucleolysis: advantages and disadvantages. 236 52

A case report of inadvertent chymopapain introduction into the lumbar theca is reported. It led to an extensive subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhage, producing paraplegia. The neurotoxicity of chymopapain in the experimental model is reviewed and related to a clinical setting. Clinically speaking, there appears to be no tolerance for this discolytic agent either in the peripheral or central nervous system. Cerebrospinal fluid barbotage may lessen the neurologic injury by removing the enzyme when it finds its way inadvertently into the subarachnoid space.
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PMID:Paraplegia following chemonucleolysis. A case report and discussion of neurotoxicity. 293 32

To extent the safety information for Chymodiactin (chymopapain for injection), 37 neurologic and orthopedic surgeons conducted an open-label, multicenter, phase 3 clinical study. A total of 1,498 patients with one or two herniated lumbar intervertebral discs were enrolled. Therapeutic results were generally favorable, with the percentages of patients achieving either excellent or good (or successful) results ranging from 79.6% to 88.9%, depending on criteria employed in the tabulation. There were 13 cases of anaphylaxis, and 2 of these patients died of complications of anaphylaxis. Two additional patients experienced serious neurologic problems. The first of these two patients developed transverse myelitis and paraplegia approximately 3 weeks following chemonucleolysis. Transdural discograms at three levels had been done approximately 2 days prior to chemonucleolysis, in violation of the protocol. The second patient developed acute cauda equina syndrome, and, despite emergency laminectomy, had permanent neurologic sequelae. Back spasm and stiffness/soreness were the most frequently encountered adverse experiences.
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PMID:Chymodiactin in patients with herniated lumbar intervertebral disc(s). An open-label, multicenter study. 388 87

Postmarketing surveillance data on 29,075 patients who received Chymodiactin (Smith Laboratories' formulation of chymopapain) intradiscal injections for a herniated lumbar intervertebral disc are summarized and tabulated. The serious adverse reactions reported include death, anaphylaxis, paraplegia, and discitis. Similar problems also have been reported for Discase (Baxter-Travenol's formulation of chymopapain). Of 11 deaths reported following Chymodiactin administration, only 3 appear to be related to the drug or procedure. Two of these three were due to anaphylaxis and the third to bacterial discitis with resultant meningitis. Paraplegia appeared to be primarily due to needle trauma or injection of contrast agent and enzyme into the subarachnoid space. Careful patient selection and needle placement are essential for avoiding serious problems.
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PMID:Chymodiactin postmarketing surveillance. Demographic and adverse experience data in 29,075 patients. 638 53