J Korean Pain Soc.  1988 Jun;1(1):125-127.

Warm Sensation of Left Lower Extremity as a Complication of Left Stellate Ganglion Block

• Oh HK

Abstract

A case of the left stellate ganglion block (SGB) with a warm senation of the left lower extremity in a 25-year-old male soldier is presented. During the Korean War, this patient received a penetrating gun shot wound from the right knee through the left abdominal wall, left upper arm and left thumb. He was evacuated to the a marine corps surgical hospital where amputation of the left thumb and an end-to-end anatomosis of the left brachial artery were performed. After surgery, left ulnar and median nerve paralysis and causalgia developed and about 9 months later an upper thoracic ganglionectomy was proposed at the Chin-Hae Navel Hospital. Before the ganglionectomy a stellate ganglion block for diagnostic and prognostic purnoses was requested by the surgeon. This block was performed by the supraclavicular anterior approach using 10 ml of 2% procaine. The effect of the block including Horner's syndrome was confirmed 5 minute later in this patient. This patient returned to the ward by walking unassisted 10 minutes after the block, and complained of a warm sensation m the left lower extremity 20 minutes later as well as the left upper arm. This warm sensation in the lower extremity following ipsilateral stellate ganglion block indicates that the local anesthetics solution injected tinto the neck spread down to lumbar sympathetic ganalgion along the fascial membrane of the sympathetic chain as a consequence of the 10 minutes walk.

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Wall
Adult
Amputation
Anesthetics, Local
Arm
Brachial Artery
Causalgia
Ganglionectomy
Horner Syndrome
Humans
Knee
Korean War
Lower Extremity*
Male
Median Nerve
Membranes
Military Personnel
Neck
Paralysis
Procaine
Sensation*
Stellate Ganglion*
Thumb
Walking
Wounds and Injuries
Anesthetics, Local
Procaine