Abstract
We report a patient during anticoagulotherapy for pulmonary thromboenbolism whose PHN (postherpetic neuralgia) pain was treated by thermocoagulation therapy.
Before the patient had suffered from pulmonary embolism, her PNH pain was effectively treated by epidural analgesia and root block.
To avoid the risk of complication of bleeding in the epidural space, we planned the permanent nerve root block by thermocoagulation therapy instead of by epidulal analgesia.
We stopped warfarin for 3 days and heparin for 6 hours before the procedure, We then performed the root thermocoagulation at the level of the thoracic nerves of 11 and 12.
Heparin was restarted 3 hours after the nerve block. The patient had no complications, and the pain was controlled successfully. A nerve block can be instrumental in pain relief during anticoagulotherapy.
