Effect of the Oblique Fluoroscopic Approach for Performing Stellate Ganglion Block

Park, Chan Hong; Lee, Seok; Kim, Bong Il

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a selective sympathetic blockade that affects the head, neck and the upper extremities. It is an important method that has been frequently used in pain clinics due to its wide range of indications. But there were some problem with performing SGB at C6 or C7. Thus, various techniques have been recently introduced to successfully perform SGB; among them, there is the oblique approach. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the oblique approach for performing SGB in C7.
METHODS
Forty six patients with sudden hearing loss were studied. In group I, the patient underwent C7 oblique SGB with 1% mepivacaine (3 ml) under fluoroscopic guidance. In group II, the patients underwent the C7 classical anterior approach SGB with 1% mepivaine (5 ml) under fluoroscopic guidance. We compared the occurrence of Horner's syndrome, the side effects and the changes of temperature of the skin of the hand.
RESULTS
The rate of Horner's syndrome was 81.5% in the group I and 84.2% in the group II. The rate of incurring increased skin temperature (> or = 34 degree C) of the fingers was 77.7% and 79.4% in each group, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The C7 oblique approach for SGB showed the same SGB effect compared with the C7 anterior approach for SGB, and there were also fewer complications. We conclude that C7 oblique SGB may be a beneficial method for treating patients with this particular malady.