title: Pleural analgesia for the treatment of acute severe thoracic herpes zoster.
abstract: Effective pain relief was produced in 18 patients having acute or subacute thoracic herpes zoster by the intermittent administration of local anesthetics into the pleural space via a percutaneously placed catheter. The duration of treatment varied from 16 to 21 days. During this period, the intervals between subsequent doses of 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine increased in all patients from two doses per 24 hours to one dose per 24 hours. Patients became pain-free between 16 and 21 days after the beginning of treatment. The catheters were then removed, and a follow-up period of more than one year showed no signs of postherpetic neuralgia in any of the 18 patients. No side effects were observed during the treatment period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Ulleval Sykehus, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reiestad
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kvalheim
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: McIlvaine
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010994:Pleura; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D008012:Lidocaine; D002045:Bupivacaine; D004837:Epinephrine