• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 1995

Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is applicated frequently to increase the blood flow and to reduce the pain in head, neck and upper extremity. The effects of SGB are able to be estimated by clinical signs and symptoms of Horner's syndrome, skin warmth, anhydrosis, etc. The effects are also estimated by sympathetic function and the blood flow. Blood flow velocities and pulsatility indices of common carotid,d axillary, brachial and radial artery were measured by Doppler flowmeter after SGB with 1% lidocaine at C6 level. Blood velocities of all arteries were increased and pulsatility indices of all arteries were decreased. This results suggest that SGB increase the blood flow of head and upper extremity and Doppler flowmeter is a good indicator of the effects of SGB.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.135-138
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• 2014

A 34-year-old female was suffered from pain and numbness of right arm for 2 months after undergoing a thoracoscopic procedure for a posterior mediastinal mass that was diagnosed as neurilemmoma. The patient was diagnosed as a complex regional pain syndrome type 2 with brachial plexopathy developed during thoracoscopic excision of posterior mediastinal mass, and stellate ganglion block (SGB) with 0.2% ropivacaine 10 mL was performed every 3-4 days. The patient revealed slightly prolonged blepharoptosis as Horner syndrome accompanied after every SGB and recovered. However, following the 23rd SGB, the blepharoptosis persisted and patient was recovered spontaneously from blepharoptosis after about 12 months. The possibility that the persistent blepharoptosis might be caused by brachial plexopathy related to patient's pathology or surgical manipulation and/or repeated SGB. If Horner syndrome occurs, its etiology should be assessed, and it would be necessary to explain and to assure the patient the possibility of recovery spontaneously from the complication within a year, without any sequelae.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.109-112
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• 1998

The sympathetic nervous system has been implicated as an important factor contributing to causalgia. Basis on reports of presence of opioid receptors in sympathetic autonomic ganglia, including human stellate ganglion, we administered morphine in stellate ganglion block for a patient with causalgia. The patient suffering from brachial plexus injury treated with stellate ganglion block in conjunction with physical therapy. Stellate ganglion block was performed in a paratracheal approach by injection of 1% lidocaine, or 0.25% bupivacaine 8 ml, with morpine 1 mg. Patient's symptoms were dramatically improved after 13 stellate ganglion blocks.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.265-272
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• 2000

In this study, the brachial ganglion of Octopus minor was investigated with light microscope and electron microscope,andthefollowingresultswereobtained. The brachial ganglions of the octopus, round in shapes , are located under each of suckers. Their sizes are proportional to those of the suckers. A brachial ganglion of round shape consists of cortex and medulla. In cortex, nerve cells exist collectively while neuropiles in medulla. Three kinds of nerve cells (large, middle, and small neurons) are found in the cluster of nerve cells. The small one is a round cell of about $0.9{\mu}m$ in diameter while the middle and large ones are an elliptical cell of $1.6\times1.3{\mu}m$ and an ovoid cell of $2.8{\mu}m$ in diameter, respectively. All of those cells look light due to their low electron densities , in which cell organelle are not well developed. It was also observed that the middle neurons are surrounded by median electron-dense neuroglial cells of pyramidal shapes and about $0.6\times0.4{\mu}m$ in sizes. In the neuropiles of medulla, dendrites and axons of various sizes make a complex net. They contain four kinds of chemical synaptic vesicles-electron-dense synaptic vesicle of 100 nm in diameter, median electron-dense synaptic vesicle of 90 nm in diameter, electron-dense cored synaptic vesicle of 90 nm in diameter, and electron-lucent synaptic vesicle of 50 nm in diameter.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.401-405
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• 2013

Complex regional pain syndrome secondary to brachial plexus injury is often severe, debilitating and difficult to manage. Percuteneous radiofrequency sympathectomy is a relatively new technique, which has shown promising results in various chronic pain disorders. We present four consecutive patients with complex regional pain syndrome secondary to brachial plexus injury for more than 6 months duration, who had undergone percutaneous T2 and T3 radiofrequency sympathectomy after a diagnostic block. All four patients experienced minimal pain relief with conservative treatment and stellate ganglion blockade. An acceptable 6 month pain relief was achieved in all 4 patients where pain score remained less than 50% than that of initial score and all oral analgesics were able to be tapered down. There were no complications attributed to this procedure were reported. From this case series, percutaneous T2 and T3 radiofrequency sympathectomy might play a significant role in multi-modal approach of CRPS management.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.125-128
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• 1988

A case of the left stellate ganglion block (SGB) with a warm serration 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 purposes 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 in 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.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.261-264
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• 1993

A 26 year old male patient had admitted to the department of plastic surgery for the treatment of skin defect of forearm and spastic contracture of right hand, attributable to burn injury following carbon monoxide intoxication. After receiving skin graft the patients tenotomy of flexor tendons, the patients was consulted to pain clinic for further evaluation and treatment of allodynia, hyperalgesia, and hyperpathia with marked emotional insufficiency. The patient was treated with stellate ganglion blocks, intermittent or continuous epidural blocks, and intermittent brachial plexus blocks for 3 months. with this treatment the patient's pain level improved to(VAS 10 to 4~5) and was discharged. The patient was readmitted 3 months later, due to the aggrzvation of pain. Brachial plexus blocks were given again by interscalene, supraclavicular, or axillary route, sometimes using a catheter, together with cervical epidural blocks. Tricyclic antidepressant was also prescribed. The results were remarkably good(VAS 2~3) and the patient did not require any further analgesic medication.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.340-343
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• 1996

Background: In our hospital, stellate ganglion block(SGB) has been performed for the prevention and treatment of vasospasm after microscopic reimplantation of finger(s). If brachial plexus block(BPB) has the same effect of sympathetic block on the upper extremity as SGB, it may be preferable to the SGB because it povides postoperative analgesia and is administered continuously. So we measured and compared the change of skin temperature on the forearm as the parameter of sympathetic blockade after SGB and BPB. Methods: The forty-two patients, belonged to ASA class 1~2, were received BPB for hand surgery. The skin temperature was measured before and after BPB on the forearm with patient monitor(LN 6199, YSI 400 Series Temperature Probe, Hellige, Germany). After 24 hours, ipsilateral SGB was performed and skin temperature was recorded before and after SGB. Results: The increase of skin temperature after procedures was $1.1{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$(from $34.5{\pm}0.7^{\circ}C$ to $35.6{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$) in BPB and $0.6{\pm}0.3^{\circ}C$(from $34.9{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$ to $35.5{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$) in SGB. The changes of skin temperature in both blocks were statistically significant(p<0.01), and the skin temperatures after each procedure were revealed no significant difference(p$\simeq$0.62). Conclusion: We thought that BPB produced sympathetic blockade on the upper extremity as much as SGB. Moreover, it provides postoperative pain relief and may be employed as continuous BPB could be used for hand surgery with many advantages.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.164-167
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• 1995

Stellate ganglion block(SGB) is a widely used sympathetic block to diagnose or treat various painful conditions. We experienced a rare case who exhihited a contralateral Horner's syndrome following SGB. A 64-year-old female patient suffering from postherpetic neuralgia on mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve visited our pain clinic. She complained of severe burning and shooting pain on right side lower lip, ear and temporal area. We modified her previous medications and performed repeated right SGB daily, in combination with mandibular or mental and auriculotemporal nerve blocks twice a week. Her symptoms were progressively improved. A contralateral Horner's syndrome occured after the thirteenth SGB, which was performed under several attempts in the same manner and the same physician. She had no evidence of subarachnoid or brachial plexus blocks. She did not need any special treatment and returned home 2 hours later. Subsquent blocks were followed on ipsilateral Horner's syndromes.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.16-19
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• 1988

Effects from many different approaches have been made to cure Raynaud's phenomenon, such as a dorsal sympathectomy, topical injection of nitroglycerin, phentolamin and procaine, and oral or parentral administration of various drugs. However, there has been no successful management proven yet. In recent years, it was reported that intra-arterial administration ill normal subjects as well as patients with Raynaud's syndrome has demonstrated a significant rise in blood flow to the lands. We used intermittent stellate ganglion blocks in conjunction with intra-arterial injections of reserpine and procaine in 10 patients suffering from finder necrosis. The stellate ganglion block was performed in a paratracheal approach by injection of 1% lidocaine purposely mixed with adrenaline followed by the administration of reserpine 1 mg and procaine 50 mg through a butterfly needle inserted in the radial or brachial artery. The administration of reserpine and procaine was done only twice at intervals of 1 week because of the development of suspected arteriosclerosis. The stellate ganglion block was carried out once a week for about 3 months, then once a month as needed for 6 to 12 months. As the procedure was carried out and the necrotic tissue sloughed off, oozing appeared and new granulation tissue was observed. 5 out of 10 patients were healed completely and the rest improved considerably but were not followed to the end. We concluded that the intra-arterial administration of reserpine and procaine helped initiate and accelerate increasing blood flow to the hand and the stellate ganglion block continued to help revascularization by dilating the peripheral beds.