• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.181-186
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• 2006

Background: Although cervical epidural block can be a useful therapeutic treatment for head, neck and upper extremities pain, there is no consensus regarding the volume of injection required for pain management. Herein, the spreading in the vertebral segments after a cervical epidural injection of either a 5 or 10 ml volume was studied. Methods: A total of 78 patients, suffering from head, neck and upper extremity pain, were selected. Cervical epidural blocks were performed consecutively with 5 ml (n = 42) and 10 ml (n = 36) of 0.4% mepivacaine and 222 mg I/ml iopamidol at the C7⁣-T1 levels. Both anteroposterior (AP) and lateral radiographs were obtained under fluoroscopy, and the upper and lower epidural spreading of the contrast media in relation to the vertebral level was evaluated. Results: The cervical epidural blocks were performed without complications. The rostral spreading of the contrast media in the vertebral segments in groups 1 and 2 were $5.6{\pm}1.1$ and $6.1{\pm}1.1$, respectively. The caudal spreading of the contrast media in the vertebral segments in groups 1 and 2 were $5.4{\pm}3.4$ and $7.2{\pm}3.9$, respectively. The total numbers of segments with vertebral spreading of the contrast media in both directions showed significant differences between the two groups. The numbers of patients who showed spreading of the contrast media up to C2 vertebral segment showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusions: 5 and 10 ml epidural injection volumes may be adequate for the spread of contrast media to the entire cervical spine. A 5 ml epidural injection volume, compared to a 10 ml volume, may be ample when considering the possibility of unnecessary caudal spreading of drugs and volume related complications in the management of head, neck and upper extremity pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.114-118
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• 1999

Backgrouds: Cervical epidural blocks were used as part of a comprehensive multimodal treatment program for patients with chronic pain in the head, neck and upper extremities. The depth of the epidural space beneth the skin surface varies at different levels of the spinal column in the same patient. It also varies from patient to patient at the same vertebral level. We studied the distance the skin to the cervical epidural space in adults patients at different intervertebral spaces. Methods: Date were gathered from 628 patients having cervical epidural block for relief of cervical and upper extrimity pain. All blocks were performed using hanging drop method after loss of resistance with saline at C5-6, C6-7, C7-T1 intervertebral space. Results: Mean distances for skin to cervical epidural space (DSES) were 5.42 cm, 5.06 cm, 4.68 cm in male, 5.00 cm, 4.61 cm, 4.10 cm in female at C7-T1, C6-7, C5-6 intervertebral space. DSES correlated with body weight, neck circumference and body mass index significantly. Conclusion: In the cervical spine, DSES varies from space to space. The longest DSES were noted at C7-T1 level in male, and the shortest DSES were at C5-6 in female. DSES has significant relationships with weight, neck circumference and body mass index.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.140-143
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• 1999

Ramsay-Hunt syndrome is a related but more serious disorder caused by herpes zoster viral infection of the geniculate ganglion. It is characterized by unilateral painful vesicular rash of the uvula, palate, auricle, ear canal, and postauricular area, but it can extend into the facial tissues as well. Paralysis of the facial nerve is often seen, and there can be disequilibrium and hearing problems also. We experienced continuous cervical epidural block (CCEB) with intermittent stellate ganglion block is effective in Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. CCEB should be considered to the treatment of choice in Ramsay-Hunt syndrome.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.131-134
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• 1995

Hiccup is characterized by a myoclonus in the diaphragm, resulting in a sudden inspiration associated with an audible closure of the glottis. The reflex arc in hiccups comprises three pars: an afferent, a central and an efferent part. The afferent portion of the neural pathway of hiccup formation is composed of the vagus nerve, the phrenic nerve, and the sympathetic chain arising from T6 to T12. The hiccup center is localised in the brain stem and the efferent limb comprises phrenic pathways. All stimuli affecting the above mentioned reflex arc may produce hiccups. The pathogenesis of persistent hiccups is not known. Hiccup can present a symptom of a subphrenic abscess or gastric distention, and metabolic alterations may also cause hiccups. Numerous treatment modalities have been tried but with questionable success. We describe a patient whose persistant hiccups was treated successfully by a cervical epidural block.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.127-130
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• 1995

A 34 year old male patient visited to our neuro-pain clinic with symtoms of a left frontal headache, eyeball throbbing and occipital pain. Two days after the first visit to our clinic. pain was aggrevated and the skin eruption appeared on the left forehead. He was diagnosed as raving Herpes Zoster Opthalmicus(HZO). We performed stellate ganglion block(SGB), but pain did not subsid. So a continuous cervical epidural block was perfomed(CCEB) and it could relieve the pain promptly. In this case, VAS(visual analogue scale) was diminished from 10 to 3 and the skin eruption was healed 24 days after the treatment with CCEB and SGB. We experienced that CCEB is more effective rather than intermittent SGB in intractable HZO. CCEB should be considered to the treatment of choice in patients with HZO.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.169-171
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• 2011

Postherpetic neuralgia is the most frequent complication of herpes zoster. Treatment of this neuropathic pain syndrome is difficult and often disappointing. Although postherpetic neuralgia is generally a self-limited condition, it can last indefinitely. Continuous epidural blockade for patients with acute zoster can shorten the duration of treatment. However, continuous epidural block has some complications such as infection, dural puncture, and total spinal and nerve damages. We report a case of myoclonus during continuous epidural block with ropivacaine, morphine, and ketamine in an acute zoster patient.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 1996

Background; Epidural analgesia for controlling labor pain has recently gained world-wide popularity. However, many patients scheduled for continuous epidural analgesia voice concern over harmful effects to their fetus and other possible complications such as hemodynamic changes, back pain and neurologic sequelae etc. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic changes with and without epidural block as a measure to determine the safety of epidural analgesia during labor and delivery. Methods: Twenty healthy subjects were divided equally into two groups(Group 1 without epidural block, and Group 2 with epidural block) and serial hemodynamic measurements were taken in all subjects with transcutaneous impedence cardiography. The epidural catheter was inserted at the level of $L_{3,4}$ in Group 2 and analgesia was maintained using 0.25% bupivacaine mixed with fentanyl. Results: Cardiac output increased slightly with cervical dilatation in both groups, but no significant differences were found between the two groups. Similarly, no significant differences were found in blood pressures between the two groups. Stroke volume and end-diastolic volume indices were slightly decreased in group 1 and slightly increased in group 2. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups. The ejection fraction was nearly constant and ranging 56~59%. Conclusion: We concluded epidural analgesia for labor and delivery is a safe technique for the parturients since results indicated no significant differences in hemodynamic changes, as compared to the control group.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2019

Background: Transforaminal epidural block (TFEB) is an effective treatment option for radicular pain. To reduce complications from intravascular injection during TFEB, use of imaging modalities such as real-time fluoroscopy (RTF) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) has been recommended. In this study, we investigated whether DSA improved the detection of intravascular injection during TFEB at the whole spine level compared to RTF. Methods: We prospectively examined 316 patients who underwent TFEB. After confirmation of final needle position using biplanar fluoroscopy, 2 mL of nonionic contrast medium was injected at a rate of 0.5 mL/s under RTF; 30 s later, 2 mL of nonionic contrast medium was injected at a rate of 0.5 mL/s under DSA. Results: Thirty-six intravascular injections were detected for an overall rate of 11.4% using RTF, with 45 detected for a rate of 14.2% using DSA. The detection rate using DSA was statistically different from that using RTF (p=0.004). DSA detected a significantly higher proportion of intravascular injections at the cervical level than at the thoracic (p=0.009) and lumbar (p=0.011) levels. Conclusion: During TFEB at the whole spine level, DSA was better than RTF for the detection of intravascular injection. Special attention is advised for cervical TFEB, because of a significantly higher intravascular injection rate at this level than at other levels.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.97-100
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• 1997

We treated a 56 year old male ailing of painful herpetic eruption on his 2nd, 3rd and 4th left cervical spinal segment. On the 18th day, patient also suffered an abrupt left facial palsy, accompanied with ongoing postherpetic neuralgia even though the skin eruption had been cured. This patient visited our pain clinic on his 46th day of illness and was teated with continuous cervical epidural block for 9 days, and stellate ganglion block plus oral analgesics and antidepressant for 12 days. The combination of treatments resulted in marked improvement of facial palsy and postherpetic neuralgia. A possible explanation of facial palsy accompanied with herpes zoster on cervical spinal segment could be related to Hunt's hypothesis that geniculate ganglion forms a chain connecting the high cervical ganglion below. Another possibility may be related to a compression injury of the facial nerve by long-term severe edema on the soft tissue of the face, the periauricular area and parotid gland around the facial nerve, and edema on the facial nerve itself emerging out from the cranium.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.144-147
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• 1999

A 72-year-old female patient was presented complaining of unbearable abdominal pain in the upper left quadrant at our hospital. Two weeks earlier she had developed a vesicular eruption on the right C3 dermatome and 1 week earlier she had experienced a vesicular eruption on the left T11 dermatome. Her medical history was unremarkable. She had suffered from severe abdominal pain in the upper left quadrant for 10 days and the mild pain in the right shoulder region for 20 days. The pain in the upper left quadrant had increased and was unresponsive to drugs prescribed by the local clinic. And we performed T11 root block with 0.5% lidocaine 5 ml and dexametasone 5 mg, and thoracic epidural blockade on 1st hospital day under diagnosis of herpes zoster infection. Her VAS were improved from 10 to 2 on 2nd hospital day. We performed thoracic epidural blockade with 0.5% lidocaine 6 ml. Her VAS were changed from 2 to 7 and so then we performed the thoracic epidural blockade with 0.5% lidocaine 5 ml and triamcinolone 40 mg on 3rd hospital day. On 4th hospital day, her VAS were from 7 to 1. After 4 month of our managements she was tolerable without any medications.