• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.178-186
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• 2019

Background: Epidural steroid injections (ESIs) have been widely used in managing spinal pain. Dexamethasone has recently emerged as a useful drug in this setting, relative to particulate steroids, although the associated systemic effects have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the incidences and types of systemic effects after fluoroscopically guided ESI with dexamethasone. Methods: This retrospective study included 888 ESIs with dexamethasone (fluoroscopically guided at the cervical and lumbosacral levels) performed on 825 patients during January to June 2017. Data regarding systemic effects were collected via telephone interviews using a standardized questionnaire at 2 weeks after the procedure. Data on patient demographic, clinical, and procedural characteristics were collected and analyzed to identify factors that were associated with systemic effects. All statistical analyses were performed using the chi-squared test. Results: Among the 825 patients, 40 patients (4.8%) experienced systemic effects during the 2-week follow-up period. The most common systemic effect was facial flushing (12 patients, 1.5%), which was followed by urticaria (7 patients, 0.8%) and insomnia (7 patients, 0.8%). A history of spine surgery was significantly associated with the occurrence of systemic effects (P = 0.036). Systemic effects were significantly more common for injections at the cervical level than at the lumbar level (P = 0.019). Conclusions: Approximately 4.8% of the patients who underwent ESI with dexamethasone experienced minor and transient systemic effects. These effects were more common in patients who had undergone a previous spine surgery or received a cervical ESI.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.186-190
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• 1991

Causalgia is an extremely incapacitating disease often associated with a major peripheral nerve injury, which is characterized by sustained diffuse burning pain, allodynia and hyperpathia. The condition follows traumatic nerve lesions, often combined with vasomotor and sudomotor disturbances and later trophic changes. While sympathectomy has been the classical treatment of causalgia, others nonsurgical therapies such as regional sympathetic block, IV regional sympathetic block, oral adrenolytic drugs, transcutaneous electrical nerve simulation, physical theraphy, cryotheraphy and psychotheraphy have been used. Causalgia is rare in children and early treatment is controversial because of the possibility of many different complications following aggressive treatment. This is a report of a 6-year-old girl with causalgia suffered after a right posterior tibial nerve injury following an intragluteal injection of an antipyretics. We successfully treated this syndrome with continuous epidural block using 0.5% lidocaine and no specific complication was encountered.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.105-110
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• 2000

Central neuropathic pain may occur in 10~20% of the patients after spinal cord injury. The central pain syndrome include spontaneous continuing and intermittent pain as well as evoked pain. The pain is evoked by non-noxious stimulation of the region (allodynia) and repeated stimulation (wind-up phenomenon). Four patients were referred suffering from severe pain, allodynia and hyperaesthesia after spinal cord injury. They had received conventional treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid, anticonvulsant, antidepressant and rehabilitation which failed to provide pain relief. We administered combination of low doses of morphine and ketamine (10 mg) through the epidural catheter with other conventional therapy. Satisfactory pain relief was achieved in each patient. The reduction of pain was not associated with severe side effects. The most bothersome side effect of ketamine was dizziness in one patient, only caused by bolus injection (ketamine 10 mg with normal saline 10 ml). This suggests synergy from this combination that provides an alternative treatment for central pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.270-273
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• 1997

Caudal epiduroscopy has been introduced as an alternative technique for direct injection of epidural steroid and lysis of adhesion. Futher, it gives a better understanding of the role of epidural adhesion in recurrence of sciatica and low back disorder after surgery. We experienced a clinical application of flexible fiberoptic epiduroscope inserted through the sacral canal. A 37-year-old woman was suffering from right lumbar radiculopathy after an operation for a herniated disc. A series of volumetric caudal steroid injections and physical therapy had little effect on her symptoms. Patient was thought to be a good candidate for epiduroscopy. Flexible flberoptic epiduroscopy was as follows: 60 ml of normal saline irrigation and epidurogram, 40 mg of triamcinolone in 10m1 of normal saline was directed around right L5 nerve root. The following morning, patient reported reduced pain in her leg.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.203-207
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• 1989

Anesthesiologists are usually responsible for the major works in pain clinics and are often called for many sophisticated nerve blocks in the management of acute or chronic intractable pain. It is, therefore, not uncommon for the anesthesiologists to meet some unexpected and unusual complications during his or her performance. We experienced a case of a pneumothorax following a thoracic intrathecal alcohol block. There was an unusual and yet unexplainable cephalad spread of alcohol following an injection through the 4th sacral foramen, and a shearing off of the catheter by a Tuohy epidural needle following the epidural catheterization. All these three cases are herein presented.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.143-147
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• 2010

We report here on an uncommon case of metastatic choriocarcinoma to the lung, brain and lumbar spine. A 33-year-old woman was admitted to the pulmonary department with headache, dyspnea and hemoptysis. There was a history of cesarean section due to intrauterine fetal death at 37-weeks gestation and this occurred 2 weeks before admission to the pulmonary department. The radiological studies revealed a nodular lung mass with hypervascularity in the left upper lobe and also a brain parenchymal lesion in the parietal lobe with marginal bleeding and surrounding edema. She underwent embolization for the lung lesion, which was suspected to be an arteriovenous malformation according to the pulmonary arteriogram. Approximately 10 days after discharge from the pulmonary department, she was readmitted due to back pain and progressive paraparesis. The neuroradiological studies revealed a hypervascular tumor occupying the entire L3 vertebral body and pedicle, and the tumor extended to the epidural area. She underwent embolization of the hypervascular lesion of the lumbar spine, and after which injection of polymethylmethacrylate in the L3 vertebral body, total laminectomy of L3, subtotal removal of the epidural mass and screw fixation of L2 and L4 were performed. The result of biopsy was a choriocarcinoma.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 1989

Chloroma is a localized myeloblastic tumor which may develop during the course of myelogenous leukemia or as a presenting sign of the disease. A 47-year-old female diagnosed as chronic myelogenous leukemia in her hematologic remission period complained of left lower leg pain. The lumbar-spine series showed multiple osteolytic changes in the left lateral border of the lumbar spine. An inhomogenous soft tissue mass involving left lateral aspects of lumbar vertebrae was identified by CT-scanning. At the first pain attack, lumbar epidural steroid and local anesthetic injection could abolish her pain and the patient could go a few days without pain. The following radiation therapy could also improve the symptom and retain the pain free interval. One month later, a second pain attack occurred and lumbar and caudal epidural steroid and local anesthetic injections could result only in an incidental relief of pain. Radiation and chemotherapy were started but failed to relieve pain. A neurolytic block was considered but the patient's general condition was aggravated and even verbal communication with her became impossible.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 2012

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a commonly treated with epidural injections of local anesthetics and corticosteroids, however, these therapies may relieve leg pain for weeks to months but do not influence functional status. Furthermore, the majority of patients report no substantial symptom change over the repeated treatment. Utilizing balloon catheters, we successfully treated with three patients who complained persistent symptoms despite repeated conventional steroid injections. Our results suggest that transforaminal decompression using a balloon catheter may have potential in the nonsurgical treatment of spinal stenosis by modifying the underlying pathophysiology.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 2005

This report describes a case of spinal nerve root compression due to an acute inflammatory granuloma after lumbar surgery. A 39 year-old man with a history of increasing back pain with a 3-week duration was diagnosed with a herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD). The diagnosis of a HIVD was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with indications for surgery. A discectomy and a partial laminectomy was performed and the symptoms were alleviated immediately after surgery for a five-day period. However, a slowly progressing pain was subsequently noted along a different dermatome. There was no pain relief despite the patient being given pharmacological treatments, combined with an epidural steroid injection. The follow up MRI images showed severe compression of the nerve roots by a epidural lesion. Another procedure was performed 17 days after the initial operation. The lesion responsible for the compression of the nerve roots was found to be an acute inflammatory granuloma. The pain was relieved after the second procedure and there were no other symptoms or neurological problems. This case is remarkable in that a granuloma formed relatively quickly and grew to such a size that it was able to severely compress the surrounding nerve roots.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.136-139
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• 2008

Purpose: Epidural morphine infusion has been used to control pain in cancer patients whose cancer pain can not be controlled high dose intravenous morphine injection. To study the effectiveness and side effects of epidural morphine for the treatment of cancer pain in terminal patients at Hospice Ward, we evaluated the change in morphine equivalent daily dose for effectiveness and complications of epidural morphine infusion. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 24 terminal cancer patients who were treated with continuous epidural morphine between 2001 and 2004 at Hospice Ward of St. Vincent's Hospital. Results: The median of baseline morphine equivalent daily dose was 615 mg, whereas the median dose of initial epidural morphine was 16 mg. The median of morphine daily equivalent daily dose dropped from 615 mg to 274 mg in one week after epidural morphine infusion therapy (P-value=0.000). The median survival from the time of the first catheter insertion was 35 days. In 6 patients, the catheter was removed due to complications, however the catheter was reinserted in 3 patients. Conclusion: Cancer pain management by epidural morphine infusion is very effective method with low rate of severe complication.