• 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.25 no.1
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• pp.38-42
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• 2012

Chronic pelvic pain is a common problem with variable etiology. The sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in the transmission of visceral pain regardless of its etiology. Sympathetic nerve block is effective and safe for treatment of pelvic visceral pain. One of them, the inferior hypogastric plexus, is not easily assessable to blockade by local anesthetics and neurolytic agents. Inferior hypogastric plexus block is not commonly used in chronic pelvic pain patients due to pre-sacral location. Therefore, inferior hypogastric plexus is not readily blocked using paravertebral or transdiscal approaches. There is only one report of inferior hypogastric plexus block via transsacral approach. This approach has several disadvantages. In this case a favorable outcome was obtained by using coccygeal transverse approach of inferior hypogastric plexus. Thus, we report a patient who was successfully given inferior hypogastric plexus block via coccygeal transverse approach to treat chronic pelvic pain conditions involving the lower pelvic viscera.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.221-225
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• 2011

Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that has temporary and reversible enzymatic effects on the matrix of connective tissue. When added to local anesthetics in pain treatments, it enhances their infiltration and dispersal into tissues. It is widely used in anesthesia for ocular, dental, and plastic surgery. Reports of drug hypersensitivity to hyaluronidase are rare and are usually confined to peribulbar or retrobulbar anesthesia during ophthalmic surgery. However, few reports exist on adverse drug reaction after epidural injection. We have observed two patients experiencing anaphylactic shock caused by hyaluronidase following epidural injection. Most of the patients with a hypersensitivity to hyaluronidase had one previous uneventful injection containing hyaluronidase, implying that sensitization had taken place. However, hypersensitivity occurring at the first administration is possible. A positive skin test can help establish the diagnosis. Although rare, the possibility of an allergic reaction to hyaluronidase should be considered even in patients with no known previous exposure.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.100-104
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• 1993

Malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses are quite rare entity, with maxillary neoplasms accounting for less than 1 percent of all head and neck malignancies. When considering the paranasal sinuses alone, 77 percent of cancers arise in the maxillary sinuses. There is no situation more frustrating than the management of the patients with chronic facial pain due to cancer. The initial step in managing patients with cancer pain is the use of oncologic therapy in the form of radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, alone or combined, either to effect a cure or decrease the size of the tumor and thus decrease or eliminate the pain. When oncologic therapy is ineffective in providing relief, the pain must be treated by one or more of the followings: Systemic analgesics and adjuvant drugs, psychologic techniques of analgesia, neurostimulating techniques, neuroablative surgical procedures, regional analgesia with local anesthetics or neurolytic blocks. An 82-year old patient had severe pain of the orbital and infraorbital region due to squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus. We successfully treated this patient with the percutaneous retrogasserian ethanol gangliolysis by a H$\ddot{a}$rtel approach, and the analgesia lasts until the death of the patient.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.130-133
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• 2019

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is an inherited disorder of collagen biosynthesis and structure, characterized by skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility, aberrant scars, and tissue friability. Besides the skin, skeleton (joint) and vessels, other organs such as the eyes and the intestine can be affected in this syndrome. Accordingly, interdisciplinary cooperation is necessary for a successful treatment. Three basic surgical problems are arising due to an EDS: decreased the strength of the tissue causes making the wound dehiscence, increased bleeding tendency due to the blood vessel fragility, and delayed wound healing period. Surgery patients with an EDS require an experienced surgeon in treating EDS patients; the treatment process requires careful tissue handling and a long postoperative care. A surgeon should also recognize whether the patient shows a resistance to local anesthetics and a high risk of hematoma formation. This report describes a patient with a wide open wound on the foot dorsum and delayed wound healing after the primary approximation of the wound margins.

• Korean Journal of Anesthesiology
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• v.71 no.6
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• pp.483-485
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• 2018

A 34-year-old man who previously underwent a craniotomy due to oligodendroglioma was admitted with a diagnosis of recurrent brain tumor. An awake craniotomy was planned. Approximately 15 minutes after completing the scalp nerve block, his upper torso suddenly moved and trembled for 10 seconds, suggesting a generalized clonic seizure. He recovered gradually and fully in 55 minutes without any neurological sequelae. The emergency computed tomography scan revealed a localized fluid collection and small intracerebral hemorrhage nearby in the temporoparietal cortex beneath the skull defect. He underwent surgery under general anesthesia at 8 hours after the seizure and was discharged from the hospital after 10 days. This report documents the first case of generalized seizure that was caused by the accidental intracerebral injection of local anesthetics. Although the patient recovered completely, the clinical implications regarding the scalp infiltration technique in a patient with skull defects are discussed.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.179-187
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• 2024

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common musculoskeletal disorder characterized by muscle pain, tenderness, and trigger points. Ultrasonography has emerged as a key tool for diagnosing and treating MPS owing to its ability to provide precise, minimally invasive guidance. This review discusses the use of ultrasonography in various approaches to evaluate and manage MPS. Studies have shown that shear-wave sonoelastography can effectively assess muscle elasticity and offer insights into trapezius stiffness in patients with MPS. Ultrasound-guided interfascial hydrodissection, especially with visual feedback, has demonstrated effectiveness in treating trapezius MPS. Similarly, ultrasound-guided rhomboid interfascial plane blocks and perimysium dissection for posterior shoulder MPS have significantly reduced pain and improved quality of life. The combination of extracorporeal shockwave therapy with ultrasound-guided lidocaine injections has been particularly successful in reducing pain and stiffness in trapezius MPS. Research regarding various guided injections, including dry needling, interfascial plane blocks, and fascial hydrodissection, emphasizes the importance of ultrasonography for accuracy and safety. Additionally, ultrasound-guided delivery of local anesthetics and steroids to the quadratus lumborum muscle has shown lasting pain relief over a 6-month period. Overall, these findings highlight the pivotal role of ultrasonography in the assessment and treatment of MPS.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.276-282
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• 2005

Inferior alveolar nerve block using lidocaine is the most frequent local anesthetic method in the dental treatment, but clinically it is not always successful. The 2% lidocaine cartridge has been used commonly in dental anesthesia. It contains vasoconstrictor and antioxidant, which presents low pH which provides chemical stability and longer shelf life. But alkalinized local anesthetics has less tissue trauma, easier dissociation of the non-ionized base which penetrates nerve sheath, rapid onset and more intensity. In this study, in inferior alveolar nerve block, alkalinized lidocaine using sodium bicarbonate (experimental group) is compared with plain lidocaine (control group) about injection pain, anesthetic onset, duration and postinjection discomfort. In inferior alveolar nerve block, alkalinized lidocaine using sodium bicarbonate showed lower injection pain. There was significant difference statistically from plain lidocaine(p=0.019). Comparing with plain lidocaine, alkalinized lidocaine produced more rapid onset (lip & pulp anesthetic onset), there was no significant difference(p>0.05). but there was boundary significance (0.050.05). These results suggest that addition of sodium bicarbonate to 2% lidocaine(1:100,000 epinephrine) for inferior alveolar nerve block is more effective for reduction of injection pain and onset time.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.74-78
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• 2000

Background: Epidural Adhesiolysis is an interventional pain management technique for patients with low back pain. In addition to local anesthetics and corticosteroid, hypertonic saline (NaCl) are used for the technique. Present study was aimed to compare analgesic and adverse effects of two different concentration of hypertonic saline in Epidural Adhesiolysis. Methods: Fifty-three subjects with low back pain with radiculopathy were assigned to one of two epidural adhesiolysis treatment groups: 8% (Group I, n=26) or 10% (Group II, n=27) hypertonic saline. 17 G epidural needle was inserted at sacral hiatus and catheter was advanced untill its tip was located at lesion site under fluoroscopic guidance. Subjects in all treatment groups received epidural corticosteroid and local anesthetic. And then, hypertonic saline injection via catheter were carried out daily for 3 days. Evaluation included assessment of pain relief (Numerical Rating Scale; NRS) at post-epidural adhesiolysis 1, 2, 3 days, 1 week, and 1, 3 months. We also looked for complications of epidural adhesiolysis at different concentration of hypertonic saline. Results: Statistical analysis demonstrated that NRS was not significantly different between two groups during 3 months after epidural adhesiolysis. There were no major differences of complications between two groups and disappeard after a few months without residual sequelae. Conclusions: We conclude that epidural adhesiolysis using 8% hypertonic saline is effective for relief of low back pain with proven lumbosacral fibrosis without any residual sequelae compared with 10%.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2008

Background: The use of regional local anesthetics or opioids during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), in combination with general anesthesia, has been investigated in several interventional studies. Methods: We studied a total of 240 (n = 60, each) patients who were undergoing LC, and they received local infiltration and intraperitoneal instillation with normal saline or 0.25% levobupivacaine 60 ml. Group R (S) received infiltration of normal saline 20 ml before incision and at the end of surgery and then 40 ml intraperitoneal instillation after removal of the gall bladder under remifentanil-based anesthesia. Group R (L) received 0.25% levobupivacaine instead of normal saline in the same method like group R (S). Group S (S) received the same method as group R (S) under sevoflurane based anesthesia in place of remifentanil. Group S (L) received 0.25% levobupivacaine instead of normal saline with the same method as group S (S). Pain was assessed on a visual analog scale at 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours after operation. Results: The pain intensity of Group R (L) was significantly lower than that of group R (S), and the the incisional pain of group S (L) was significantly lower than that of group S (S) in the first six hours. The time delay to first operative analgesics in group R (S) and group S (S) was significantly shorter than that of group R (L) and group S (L). Conclusions: Infiltration and instillation of levobupivacaine reduced the postoperative pain and remifentanil did not increase the pain severity and opioid requirement when performing the LC.