Ultrasound-guided posterior approach to intercostal block for herpetic neuralgia / 中华麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate ultrasound-guided posterior approach to intercostal block for herpetic neuralgia. Methods Forty-eight patients with herpetic neuralgia after appearance of rashes on the back of chest (the coursc ＜ 30 days) aged 56-84 yr received intercostal block performed via posterior approach under the guidance of ultrasound with a mixture of 0.75% ropivacaine, glucocorticoid and methylene blue. Pain was assessed with visual analogue scale (VAS) before block and at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks after block. Pain relief (PAR) was cal-culated (PAR= (VAS score before block- VAS score after block) ÷ VAS score before block × 100%). Results No patient developed dyspnea and pneumothorax. VAS scores were reduced significantly, quality of life was improved and PAR increased at 1, 2, 4 ancl 8 weeks after block ( P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01). Concluslon Ultracound-guided posterior approach to intercostal block is safe and effective for the treatment of herpetic neuralgia.