Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.22.6 (chymopapain)
 407 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Seventy-seven patients treated by chymopapain and laminectomy were compared before, and 6 and 14 weeks after, treatment. A standardized, multidimensional scale of low back pain providing scores on 7 independent dimensions of sensory and affective discomfort and one measure of intensity were used. Fourteen weeks after surgery, patients treated by chymopapain were functioning as well as those treated by laminectomy. Major differences, however, characterized the course of recovery. Chymopapain produced rapid change, which was maintained over the 3 1/2-month period. Healing following laminectomy was slower, but the end results were essentially the same. These findings, using sophisticated measurement techniques, support previous research suggesting that chymopapain is an effective alternative to laminectomy in the treatment of lumbar disk disease.
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PMID:A comparison of patients treated by chymopapain and laminectomy for low back pain using a multidimensional pain scale. 644 50

Chemonucleolysis is the nonoperative chemical removal of displaced lumbar disc material. The enzyme chymopapain, which has a wide margin of safety between its effective therapeutic and toxic doses, is effective in the management of sciatica due to a herniated intervertebral disc. The patient will have leg pain as the dominant symptom and a 50% reduction in straight-leg raising with or without bowstring discomfort and crossover pain. Neurologic symptoms and signs are usual, as are abnormal results of contrast studies, which will verify the level of involvement. In 220 randomly selected patients who met criteria for the diagnosis of sciatica due to a herniated intervertebral disc and did not have psychogenic or nonorganic spinal pain, a spinal stenosis or a history of a previous, unsuccessful operation to relieve the sciatica, chemonucleolysis had a success rate of 80%. The only complications were a severe anaphylactic reaction in two patients and lesser, delayed reactions in five others. All of the reactions were successfully treated. Of the 45 patients in whom chemonucleolysis was unsuccessful, 38 underwent a laminectomy. In 3 of the 38 the results of chemonucleolysis were initially good, but later the disc herniation recurred; thus, the long-term treatment failure rate was 1.4%.
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PMID:Chemonucleolysis for relief of sciatica due to a herniated intervertebral disc. 701 30