Anesth Pain Med.  2010 Oct;5(4):277-279.

A SGB treatment case of a patient's postoperative intractable hiccup: A case report

• Cha YD
• Song JH
• Song BH
• Lee JH
• Shinn HK
• Lee HS

Abstract

Hiccups occur due to sudden glottic closure connected to inspiratory muscle and diaphragm's involuntary spasm. Hiccups have been known to be caused organically, psychologically, and by some unknown causes, yet, their pathophysiologic mechanism is still unknown. There are non-drug treatments such as hyperventilation, drinking water, pharynx and larynx stimulation, and Valsalva maneuver: and drug treatments such as antipsychotics and antiepileptics. Nerve block can be also considered. A 67-year-old man, who was hospitalized due to his months' long hiccup, had begun hiccups 5-6 months after an operation of radical subtotal gastrectomy with Billroth I anastomosis due to his early gastric cancer. During follow-ups of 4 weeks and 12 weeks after one treatment of bilateral SGB, the patient no longer complained hiccups. In conclusion, SGB treatment for intractable hiccup is an alternative method to palliative therapy or pharmacotherapy when either method is ineffective as a cure.

Keyword

Gastrectomy; Hiccup; Stellate ganglion

MeSH Terms

Aged
Anticonvulsants
Antipsychotic Agents
Drinking Water
Follow-Up Studies
Gastrectomy
Gastroenterostomy
Hiccup
Humans
Hyperventilation
Larynx
Muscles
Nerve Block
Palliative Care
Pharynx
Spasm
Stellate Ganglion
Stomach Neoplasms
Anticonvulsants
Antipsychotic Agents
Drinking Water