A treatment case with counter-side stellate ganglion block for a unilateral cervical sympathetic trunk injury caused by a traffic accident

Abstract

A 49-year-old man presented with left facial hot flush and burning sensation with left neck and upper extremity pain after hitting on his face in the traffic accident. We diagnosed cervical facet joint damage with left traumatic cervical sympathetic trunk injury, because of assessment of his symptoms related to sympathetic nervous disorder. His symptoms were alleviated with right stellate ganglion block (SGB) to reduce the left cervical sympathetic blockade condition such as left facial hot flash and rhino stenosis. Moreover, his facial thermo-graphical image after SGB showed an increase in skin temperature of right neck and a decrease in left cheek. His symptoms were alleviated by repeating the right SGB. We considered that SGB to the healthy side alleviated the symptoms of cervical sympathetic nerve blockade on the affected side, such as stimulation of the sympathetic activity via the transverse branch of the thoracic sympathetic nerve trunk or the sympathetic borrowing-lending phenomenon.