• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.54-57
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• 1997

Background : The tonsillar region is innervated by the sensory components of the glossopharyngeal nerve(IX) which communicates with certain part of cervical sympathetic ganglion. Some authors suggest stellate ganglion block(SGB) is effective for treatment of recurrent tonsillitis. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of SGB in controlling pain after tonsillectomy. Methods : Forty five patients, evaluated to ASA class 1 and 2, scheduled for tonsillectomy under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (group I: control; group II: SGB with 1% lidocaine 5 ml; group III: SGB with 2% lidocaine 2.5 ml plus 0.5% bupivacaine 2.5 ml), SGB was performed at the end of surgery. Postoperative pain was assessed with Numeric Rating Scale(NRS) NRS assessment was made 30, 60, 90 min, 2 h, 4 h, 24 h, 48 h after tonsillectomy. Results : Pain scores, after 30 min in group II, III and 60, 90 min in group III were significantly lower than group I(p<0.05). Conclusions : We found SGB was effective in controlling pain after tonsillectomy but further studies are required needs to prolong duration of relief..

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.82-85
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• 1997

Destruction of the gasserian ganglion can be carried out by creating a radiofrequency lesion under biplanar fluoroscopic guidance. This procedure is reserved for patients who have failed various interventions for intractable trigeminal neuralgia including retro-gasserian injection of glycerol and whose physical status otherwise precludes more invasive neuro-surgical treatments such as microvascular decompression. Radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the gasserian ganglion provides a safe method of achieving long-standing relief from trigeminal neuralgia with low risk. This technique is currently emerging worldwide as the surgical treatment of choice for trigeminal neuralgia. Recently we performed a successful radiofrequency gasserian ganglionotomy, without any complication, under fluoroscopic guidance. The procedure was successful and complete pain relief was achieved for a patient who already had treatments of various interventions including microvascular decompression but never experienced pain relief.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.217-220
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• 1999

Background: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has been widely used for pain relief after surgery instead of opioid analgesics therapy. This study was designed to study the effectiveness of TENS on perianal pain after anal surgery. Methods: Forty-eight patients who underwent anal surgery were evaluated in this suudy. Caudal anesthesia with 1.5% lidocaine 30 ml mixture 1：200,000 epinephrine was performed. TENS was done at 100 Hz for 25 min. duration, postoperatively at 4 hrs and 24 hrs. Pain was also measured at the 4 hrs and 24 hrs postoperatively by visual analogue scale (VAS). VAS value were compared before and after TENS application. Results: Values of VAS after TENS were significantly lower compared to those before TENS. Conclusions: From these results, we concluded, TENS may be effective for postoperative perianal pain relief after anal surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.79-83
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• 2000

Background: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is a syndrome characterized by postural headache without trauma, spinal anesthesia or other medical history. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of epidural blood patch in spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Methods: The spontaneous intracranial hypotension patients treated with epidural blood patch were analyzed on the symptoms, radiologic images and methods of epidural blood patch retrospectively by the medical records. Results: Patients had postural headache (15 patients) including nausea/vomiting (10 patients), tinnitus (2 patients), neck stiffness (13 patients), vertigo (3 patients) and occular pain (1 patient). Brain CT and MRI showed diffuse enhancement of the pachymeninges (9 patients) and radionuclide cisternography demonstrated direct evidence of leakage (11 patients). With epidural blood patch, the symptoms were promptly relieved in 11 patients. Conclusions: We concluded that epidural blood patch is a good treatment of method in spontaneous intracranial hypotension patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.96-100
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• 1998

Bakground: At our institution, We have controlled pain during vaginal delivery with epidural block since 1986. We designed a questionaire for parturients to analyze the degree of satisfaction of epidural block. Method: The self-questionaire were sent to parturients(N=200), who had epidural block to control labor pain during vaginal delivery. The questionaire covered topics dealing with motivation, fear, satisfaction and complications, of epidural block. Results: Motivation by an experienced person was 72.5%(145 parturients), fear of epidural block was 66%(132 parturients), and satisfactory response was 84%(168 parturients). Parturients who knew the role of anesthesiologist numbered 105(52.5%). Scarcely, 46 parturients displayed confidence for safety of fetus; 111 parturients experienced more than one complications. But special therapy for complications were not necessary. Conclusions: Publicity through mass-media and direct contact will improve the recognition and merit of epidural block by parturients as well as the role of the department of anesthesiology.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.226-229
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• 1998

Background: Treatment for frozen shoulder is various and difficult. It is important for pain clinicians to plan more effective and simpler treatment modalities. Pain clinicians have done suprascapular nerve block(SSNB) for treatment of frozen shoulder, but the effectiveness of treatment has been unsatisfactory. Shoulder joint injection(SJI) using local anesthetics and steroid mixture is a relatively simple procedure. This study was performed to compare therapeutic effects of SSNB and SJI in frozen shoulder. Methods: Eighty patients suffering from frozen shoulder were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 had been treated with SSNB and physiotherapy for 3 weeks. Group 2 had been treated with SJI and physiotherapy for the same duration. Pain scores and treatment results were compared and analyzed at the time of 2 months after treatment started. Results: The VAS scores after SJI were lower than those of SSNB. Therapeutic results according to Haggart's classifications were significantly effective in group 2. Conclusion: These results show that SJI is more effective than SSNB for treatment of frozen shoulder.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 1990

Reiestad and Stromskag recently introduced the interpleural installation of local anesthetic solutions as a technique for the management of postoperative pain in patients undergoing cholecystectomy, renal surgery, and breast surgery. This study was done to manage postoperative pain in the patients undergoing unilateral upper-abdominal surgery and thoracotomy. Twenty patients received 0.5% bupivacaine 20 ml with epinephrine (Children, received 10 ml). Results were as follows: 1) Analgesic effects appeared in 15.56 minutes; mean analgesic duration from the initial intrapleural injection was 10.5 hours. 2) Blood pressure increased more after the operation than before the operation. Blood pressure before injection of bupivacaine was highest (p<0.01). Heart rate was increased before injection and 10 minutes after injection of 0.5% bupivacaine (p<0.05). 3) The values of $PaCO_2$, were improved from $41.7{\pm}2.02\;mmHg$ ($PaCO_2$), $85.2{\pm}2.41\;mmHg$ ($PaO_2$) to $37.8{\pm}2.41\;mmHg$ ($PaCO_2$), $107.0{\pm}7.86\;mmHg$ ($PaO_2$) respectively (p<0.01). 4) Complication such as pneumothorax, atelectasis and CNS toxicity did not appear. 5) Intrapleural administration of local anesthetics after unilateral upper-abdominal and thoracic surgery provided a satisfactory pain control.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.321-325
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• 1998

Most of the patients with pain resulting from advanced cancer need opioid for adequate analgesia. Various Methods of drug administration to control the pain have been developed. One of them, continuous administration of intravenous morphine is used for more effective pain control in the patient with severe pain that cannot be satisfactorily controlled by other Methods of morphine administration. But this is not a suitable method at home because of the possibility of serious infectious complications and the difficulty in managing intravenous access by untrained personnel. Continuous subcutaneous adminstration of drugs can not only overcome such disadvantages of continuous intravenous infusion but also get almost the same effect of pain control as continuous intravenous infusion, and allows opportunity to move freely and return home, improving quality of life. We used continuous subcutaneous morphine and metoclopramide in the patients with cancer pain via a portable PCA device, and accomplished satisfactory pain relief without significant side effect.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.326-331
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• 1998

Facial nerve paralysis is a common pain clinical diagnosis. But ipsilateral or contralateral recurrent facial paralysis is found in about 2.6~19.5% of facial paralysis and especially bilateral facial paralysis is rare. While idiopathic facial paralysis is the most common diagnosis, a comprehensive evaluation must be completed prior to this diagnosis in patients with bilateral facial paralysis. A representative case of bilateral alternating facial paralysis treated with stellate ganglion block (SGB) is presented. A 57 years old male patient who had the onset of a right facial paralysis 7 months ago visited pain clinic. Five months after the onset of right facial paralysis, as it was improving, he developed a left facial paralysis. He had history of hypertension, diabetus mellitus and pain episode on mastoid process before facial paralysis developed. Electrical test showed incomplete neuropathy on both side and computed tomography (CT) scan was normal. He was treated with SGB, physical theraphy and aspirin medication. After 25 times SGB, he was recovered almost completely.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.217-221
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• 1994

Percutaneous neurolysis of upper thoracic sympathetic ganglion was performed in 40 patients by simultaneously injecting 3 ml of pure alcohol into the T2 and T3 levels after 3 ml of injection of local anesthetic agent on the same sites. Using a skin temperature probe, finger tip temperatures were measured on the index finger ipsilateral to the nerve block before block, 15 and 30 minutes after test block, and 30 minutes after alcohol block. Alcohol block was performed immediately after 30 minutes test block. Finger tip temperatures obtained at 30 minutes post alcohol block and test block and the differences in the temperatures measured before and 30 minutes after alcohol block were shown to be statistically important as potential indicators for prediciting long term outcome of therapy for palmar hyperhidrosis using this technique. These results demonstrate that the palmar temperature monitoring method is sufficiently sensitive to predict the outcome of nerve block during and after thoracic sympathetic ganglion block.