title: Continuous lumbar sympathetic block.
abstract: A 74-year-old woman with peripheral vascular disease suffered from rest pain in the right big toe and intermittent claudication. Because of concomitant venous congestion, a chemical lumbar sympathectomy was considered to carry an increased risk of leg edema. A continuous lumbar sympathetic block with local anesthetic abolished the pain in the toe without side effects. After this reversible block, a chemical lumbar sympathectomy was performed producing pain relief for 4 weeks when the patient was last seen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthetics, Guy's Hospital, London, England.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petriccione di Vadi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hamann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001340:Autonomic Nerve Block; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D014034:Toes