J Korean Pain Soc.  2003 Dec;16(2):262-266.

A Case of Total Spinal Anesthesia for Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain: A case report

• Cheon BS
• Han KR
• Kim JS
• Kim YS
• Kim C

Abstract

Total spinal anesthesia (TSA) has been used for the treatment of intractable pain. Its clinical use has gradually decreased, as other neuromodulative techniques, such as nerve blocks under the fluoroscopy, radiofrequency thermocoagulation lesioning and neurostimulations, have been developed. However, TSA is an easy, lesser complicated and reVersible procedure, which can also be repeatedly performed. A 28-year-old man, who exhibited the signs and symptoms of phantom limb pain, following an above the knee amputation of the left leg, complained that he had felt paroxysmal electric shock-like pain and tingling, squeezing, folding and distortion of his missing ankle and foot. The previously described symptoms were decreased by 60 70% of the pretreatment state, with for weeks of continuous epidural block and the addition of ketamine, lumbar sympathetic ganglion block and medication. However, he felt an unpleasant sensation of his missing limb. Therefore, TSA was performed, and he no longer felt the unpleasant sensations of his missing limb, only mild pain in the stump region of his thigh.

Keyword

Phantom limb pain; Total spinal anesthesia

MeSH Terms

Adult
Amputation
Anesthesia, Spinal*
Ankle
Electrocoagulation
Extremities
Fluoroscopy
Foot
Ganglia, Sympathetic
Humans
Ketamine
Knee
Leg
Nerve Block
Pain, Intractable
Phantom Limb*
Sensation
Thigh
Ketamine