Persistent ptosis following stellate ganglion block with local anesthetic : A case report

ABSTRACT

A 45-year-old woman underwent stellate ganglion block (SGB) for treatment of anosmia. She was treated with standardized SGB two to three times a week for two months. Although her anosmia improved slightly, she complained of discomfort and persistent ptosis in her left eye after the fourteenth block. After a five-month observation period, she was evaluated in the department of ophthalmology for persistent ptosis. A phenylephrine test suggested a neurogenic origin for the ptosis. Surgical repair was performed. Clinicians should be careful when performing SGB with local anesthetics to avoid microtrauma, ischemic injury, and neurotoxic injury of the sympathetic nerve fibers.