Long-Term Durability of Bilateral Two-Level Stellate Ganglion Blocks in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Six-Month Retrospective Analysis

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by Sean W. Mulvaney, Sanjay Mahadevan, Kyle J. Dineen, Roosevelt Desronvilles, Jr., and Kristine L. Rae Olmsted

This is the abstract of a recently published open access article belonging to the Clinical and Translational Neuroscience.

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common neuropsychiatric condition with a complex etiology. Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) is a novel but well-observed procedure for treating the disorder. However, the long-term durability of SGB has yet to be established. The primary objective of this study was to determine if performing ultrasound-guided, bilateral, two-level cervical sympathetic chain block (2LCSB) is associated with PTSD symptom improvement across six months. A secondary objective was to characterize treatment effects between trauma types. A retrospective chart review was conducted, and 75 patients meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. Posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) scores were collected throughout a six-month period post-procedure. In addition, patients were asked to identify the category of trauma associated with their PTSD diagnosis. Nearly all (96%) patients showed significant improvement in their PCL-5 scores between the baseline and six months, with an average improvement of 55.48%. This is the first study to be conducted that examines the effects associated with SGB over a time period of greater than one month. Bilateral 2LCSB may provide durable PTSD symptom improvement for six months. However, additional research is necessary to establish causality.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

#stellate ganglion block; #stellate ganglion; #posttraumatic stress disorder; #posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5; #two-level cervical sympathetic chain block; #military medicine; #neuropsychiatry; #sexual abuse; #ultrasound; #injection; #local anesthetics; #ropivacaine; #sympathetic ganglion

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