• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.85-88
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• 1992

Buerger's disease is a chronic occlusive arterial disease in which a non-arteriosclerotic lesion involves medium-sized arteries, veins, and nerves of the distal leg or arm. Sympathetic interruption is indicated to improve blood flow to the involved extremity, although sympathetic blockade can provide temporally relief of vasospasm and pain. Chemical or surgical sympathectomy has been performed for this purpose and intravenous regional sympathetic block(IRSB) is an alternative. Guanethidine or reserpine has been administered for IRSB. Intraarterial or intravenous systemic administration of prostaglandin E1(PGE1) has been recommended for the treatment of Buerger's disease. We used PGE1 for intravenous regional administration as an IRSB with results as good as that of intraarterial injection. The advantages of the method include that it is less expensive than systemic administration, less invasive than intra-arterial injection, and simple in technical application.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 2010

Primary erythromelalgia is a rare condition that’s characterized by erythema, an increased skin temperature and burning pain in the extremities. The pain is often very severe, and treating erythromelalgia is frustrating and difficult. We report here on the case of a 12-year old girl with primary erythromelalgia in both lower extremities. The pain was refractory to medical treatment, but a bilateral sympathetic block with lidocaine and triamcinolone resulted in relief from the pain. Our experience with this disease demonstrates that sympathetic blocks are effective in improving the symptoms and they may be attempted on erythromelalgia patients who do not respond to other treatments, including medication and epidural blocks.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.114-119
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• 1996

Buerger's disease is a nonatherosclerogic occlusive inflammatory disease of medium and small arteries, and veins, of unknown cause. It occurs predominantly in young males who are habitual tabacco users. These patients often complain of painful ulcerations of their digits. The care of this disease is very difficult when the treatment is delayed. Consequently, early treatments are most important to patients with Buerger's disease. This disease can be treated with sympathetic block such as stellate ganglion block for upper extremities and lumbar epidural block, and lumbar sympathetic block for lower extremities. Intravascular regional sympathetic block can be another method of treatment. However, discontinuation of smoking is the most basic and essential treatment for Buerger's disease. We treated 43 Buerger's disease patients with stellate ganglion block and laser therapy. The treatment was not effective for three patients who definitely required amputation.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.206-209
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• 1996

Thoracic sympathetic nerve block has a wide range of therapeutic applications which clinicians utilize neurolytics or perform operative sympathectomy. All methods have advantages and disadvantages. We performed "thoracic sympathetic ganglion cauterization" using resectoscope as it is less invasive and more effective than traditional operative methods. Successful procedures were performed involving 2 cases of idiopathic hyperhidrosis and 1 case of sympathetically maintained pain on chest and upper extremity. We experienced failure with one case of idiopathic hyperhidrosis due to severe pleural adhesion. There was also a case of complication of periganglional hemorrhage and parenchymal lung perforation which we successfully treated.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.237-240
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• 2006

This report describes a case of spinal cord infarction after acupuncture. The patient was treated with lumbar sympathetic block with using C-arm fluoroscopy. A 66-year-old patient with chronic low back pain and radiating pain in the lower limb was treated with acupuncture and he suddenly had a loss of motor and sensory of both lower extremities. His clinical presentaion and neuroimaging studies were consistent with spinal cord infarction. He was treated with steroid megatherapy and he showed improved in motor function, but there was no pain relief despite the phamacological treatments that were combined with caudal blockade. He visited to our hospital and had lumbar sympathetic blockade performed. The pain was relieved without any related complication after 1 month (VAS $9/10{\rightarrow}2/10$), and he has been content with the results of treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2003

Whether there exists a sympathetic neural regulation on the aquaporin (AQP) channels in the kidney was examined. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. They were renal nerve denervated by stripping the nervous and connective tissues passing along the renal artery and vein, and painting these vessels with 10% phenol solution through a midline abdominal incision. Three days later, the expression of AQP1-4 proteins in the denervated kidneys was determined. The content of norepinephrine was found significantly decreased following the denervation. Accordingly, the expression of AQP2 proteins was markedly decreased. The expression of AQP3 and AQP4 was also slightly but significantly decreased, while that of AQP1 was not. Neither the basal nor the AVP-stimulated accumulation of cAMP was significantly affected in the denervated kidney. It is suggested that the sympathetic nervous system has a tonic stimulatory effect on AQP channels in the kidney.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.271-275
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• 2023

The abducens nerve (AN; cranial nerve VI) exits the brainstem at the inferior pontine sulcus, pierces the dura of the posterior cranial fossa, passes through the cavernous sinus in close contact to the internal carotid artery (ICA) and traverses the superior orbital fissure to reach the orbit to innervate the lateral rectus muscle. At its exit from the brainstem, the AN includes only axons from lower motor neurons in the abducens nucleus. However, as the AN crosses the ICA it receives a number of branches from the internal carotid sympathetic plexus. The arrangement, neurochemical profile and function of these sympathetic axons running along the AN remain unresolved. Herein, we use gross dissection and microscopic study of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections and sections with tyrosine hydroxylase immunolabeling. Our results suggest the AN receives multiple bundles of unmyelinated axons that use norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter consistent with postganglionic sympathetic axons.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2001

Background: Sympathetic blocks with local anesthetics are used to differentiate sympathetically- maintained pain (SMP) from sympathetically-independent pain (SIP). However, systemic lidocaine is also used in the management of neuropathic pain. Therefore, there may be possibility of a false positive response in relieving their pain by systemic absorption of lidocaine following a diagnostic sympathetic block in patients with SIP. In this study, we measured the plasma lidocaine concentrations after a stellate ganglion block (SGB) using three volumes of 1% lidocaine. Methods: This prospective, crossover study was performed in 3 patients who experience sudden hearing loss and in 4 volunteers. Each person received SGB three times using three different volumes (6 ml, 12 ml and 16 ml) of 1% lidocaine at one week intervals. SGB was performed using a 23 G butterfly needle via a paratracheal approach by two persons. Two ml of venous blood was obtained from a prepared contra-lateral sided venous route at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20 and 60 min after SGB. Plasma lidocaine level was analyzed by immunoassay. Results: Mean plasma lidocaine concentrations correlated well with the volumes of 1% lidocaine used in SGB; larger volumes showed higher concentrations (P < 0.01). Mean peak plasma concentrations were $1.08{\pm}0.18$ in 6 ml, $1.90{\pm}0.47$ in the 12 ml and $2.74{\pm}0.67{\mu}g/ml$ in the 16 ml groups (P < 0.01). The mean time to reach peak plasma concentration was not significantly different between the three groups. Conclusions: The peak plasma lidocaine concentrations in SGB using large volume were found to be similar to that of IV lidocaine infusion in the management of neuropathic pain. These data suggest that diagnostic sympathetic block may result in many false positive responses for SMP. Part of its effect may be related to systemic local anesthetic absorption and not to a sympathetic block. Therefore, physicians may be required to use optimal volumes and minimal concentration of local anesthetic in diagnostic sympathetic block procedures and also make a careful assessment of the performance of a permanent sympathetic block.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.241-249
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• 2005

Objectives : The purpose of this case is to report the improvement after treatment about patient with Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. Methods : We treated the patient with acupuncture therapy and Herbal medication from 12th October 2004 to 20th June 2005 by evaluating shoulder function with VAS score, shoulder joint ROM and mannual muscle test(MMT). Results : After treatment, this patient achieved excellent outcome following the technique, showing that clinical symptom as like pain, swelling, paresthesia, color tone change was almost disappeared, and there was improvement of ROM and MMT Conclusion : Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS) also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic neurological syndrome characterized by severe burning pain, pathological changes in bone and skin, excessive sweating, tissue swelling, extreme sensitivity to touch. Oriental medical treatment for Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome resulted in satisfactory results by diminishing the symptoms progressively during the thirty two weeks of treatment. Differential diagnosis was based on careful physical examination. More research of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome is needed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.94-97
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• 1996

Two hundred and eighty eight patients suffering from excessive sweating of palms, soles and axillae etc., visited our Neuro-Pain clinic from November 1991 to March 1996. The sex ratio was 1:1.2. the third decade of age was the major age group. the onset time of hyperhidrosis was prepubertal period (in 95.1% of them). the provocative factors fo excessive sweating were tension and stress from interpersonal relationship. they had the family history (30.9%) and the past history treated with herb medication (56.9%), medicine (30.6%), operation (1.4%), and no treatment (39.6%). We treated 113 patients by sympathetic ganglion block with pure alcohol. the average times of thoracic sympathetic ganglion block were 2.1 (left), 2.4 (right) and those of lumbar sympathetic ganglion block were 1.2 (left), 1.6 (right). Average admission period was 14.7 days. Recurrence rare was 7.1%. Most longstanding effective period was 45 months. We conclude from our results that sympathetic ganglion block is one of the most effective treatments for hyperhidrosis owing to its simple technique and low recurrence rate.