Stellate Ganglion Block for the Preventive Effect on the Attacks of Cluster Headache: A case report
- Affiliations
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- 1Pain Clinic, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
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Cluster headaches are recurrent, unilateral attacks of severe pain that almost always occur on the same side of the head. They are oculofrontal or oculotemporal, with radiation to the upper jaw. The precise cause of cluster headaches are still unknown and treatments are very difficult. A 34 year old male patient suffering from severe classical cluster headache was refered to the pain clinic from department of neurosurgery. The patient complained of severe pain on right oculotemporal area and his symptoms had been refractory to any other treatment. His symptoms were effectively relieved after oxygen inhalation and sphenopalatine ganglion block with 4% lidocaine 2 ml during his attack. I could effectively prevent the attack of the cluster headache using stellate ganglion block (SGB) with 0.25% bupivacaine 5 ml twice daily during 3 weeks.