J Korean Pain Soc.  1997 May;10(1):124-126.

Hematoma in Neck following Stellate Ganglion Block

• Eun HH
• Hwang HY
• Ryu HH
• Lee YW

Abstract

Stellate ganglion block is the most widely practiced procedure in the pain clinics due to its wide range of indications. We experienced a rare case who exhibited severe hematorna in neck following stellate ganglion block. A 58-year-old female patient injured by a traffic accident was admitted to the department of neuro- surgery for the treatment of cerebral contusion, cervical and lumbar sprain and left arm paresis. Because left sensory neural hearing loss occurred, the patient was referred to the pain clinic for treatment with stellate ganglion block due to her left sensory neural hearing loss. The next day stellate ganglion block was done with a negative aspiration for blood. Three hours later, hematoma in neck was found and the patient complained of pain in the neck and dyspnea. The symptoms and signs of respiratory difficulty were progressively aggravated. The hematoma was removed and ruptured muscular branch of vertebral artery was ligated under surgical exploration. In this case, the needle was apparently in the branch of vertebral artery during or after injection in spite of the negative aspiration for blood. Authors recommend that compression of the injected site over 5 minutes should be necessary to prevent a hematoma formation despite of a negative aspiration for blood

Keyword

Anesthetic techniques, stellate gangion block; Compication, hematoma

MeSH Terms

Accidents, Traffic
Arm
Contusions
Dyspnea
Female
Hearing Loss
Hematoma*
Humans
Middle Aged
Neck*
Needles
Pain Clinics
Paresis
Sprains and Strains
Stellate Ganglion*
Vertebral Artery