Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2018 Jun;35(1):104-108. 10.12701/yujm.2018.35.1.104.

Use of stellate ganglion block for treatment of recurrent syncope followed by chest pain

• Kim YU
• Shin YJ
• Cho YW

• KMID: 2415742
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2018.35.1.104

Abstract

Syncope is defined as a transient loss of consciousness and postural tone, characterized by rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a nerve block method that is used for treatment of neuropathic pain in the head, neck and upper extremities, especially trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia and complex regional pain syndrome. SGB can modulate and stabilize the sympathetic nervous system, which prevents it from overexcitation and improves symptoms of syncope. The authors report a patient who was treated for pain and edema of both upper extremities with SGB, then showed improvement in recurrent syncope followed by chest pain and overall quality of life.

Keyword

Stellate ganglion block; Syncope; Chest pain; Upper extremity pain; Sympathetic nervous system

MeSH Terms

Chest Pain*
Edema
Head
Humans
Methods
Neck
Nerve Block
Neuralgia
Neuralgia, Postherpetic
Quality of Life
Stellate Ganglion*
Sympathetic Nervous System
Syncope*
Thorax*
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Unconsciousness
Upper Extremity

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. (A) Photo of patient before treatment (SGB). Edema in both forearms and hands. (B) Photo of patient after treatment (SGB). Normalized both forearms and hands. SGB, stellate ganglion block.

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