• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.238-241
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• 1999

Intractable pain arising from disorders of the viscera and somatic structures within the pelvis and perineum often poses difficult problems for the pain pratitioner. The reason for this difficulty is that the region contains diverse anatomic structures with mixed somatic, visceral, and autonomic innervation affecting bladder and bowel control and sexual function. Clinically, sympathetic pain in the perineum has a distinctly vague, burning, and poorly localized quality and is frequently associated with the sensation of urgency. Although various approaches have been proposed for the management of intractable perineal pain, their efficacy and applications are limited. Historically, neurolytic blockade in this region has been focused mainly on somatic rather than sympathetic components. The efficacy of neurolytic ganglion impar block has been demonstrated in treating perineal pain without significant somatovisceral dysfunctions for patient with advanced cancer in 1990. The introduction of superior hypogastric plexus block in 1990 demonstrated its effectiveness in patients with cancer related pelvic pain. In our report, five patients had advanced cancer (rectal caner 3; cervix cancer 1; metastases to sacral portion of renal cell cancer 1). Localized perineal pain was present in all cases and was characterized as burning and urgent with 9~10/10 pain intensity. After neurolytic block of ganglion impar, patients experiened incomplete pain reduction (7~8/10), as determined by the VAS (visual analogue scale), and change in pain site. We then treated with superior hypogastric plexus block, which produced satisfactory pain relief (to less than 4/10), without complication.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.400-401
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• 2020

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.106-113
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• 2022

Background: Coccygodynia is one of the chronic, refractory painful musculoskeletal disorders. Interventional procedures are applied to patients unresponsive to initial treatment in coccygodynia. This study aims to compare the treatment outcomes of ganglion impar block (GIB) and caudal epidural steroid injection (CESI) in patients with chronic coccygodynia. Methods: This study was a prospective randomized comparison study conducted between June 2019 and January 2021. Patients diagnosed with chronic coccygodynia were randomly divided into two groups: the GIB group and the CESI group. The severity of pain, presence of neuropathic pain, and quality of life were evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale, Leeds Assessment of the Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs Scale, and Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12), respectively. Results: A total of 34 patients in each group were included in the final analyses. While there was a significant decrease in pain intensity in both groups in the 3-month follow-up, this decrease was more significant in the GIB group at the 3rd week. There was a significant improvement in the SF-12 physical score and the number of patients with neuropathic pain in both groups in the 3rd week, but this improvement was not observed in the 3rd month. Conclusions: Although GIB may provide more pain relief in short term, both GIB and CESI are useful treatment methods in coccygodynia unresponsive to more conservative treatments.