title: A case of pneumothorax after phrenic nerve block with guidance of a nerve stimulator.
abstract: Hiccups have more than 100 etiologies. The most common etiology has gastrointestinal origins, related mainly to gastric distention and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Intractable hiccups are rare but may present as a severe symptom of various diseases. Hiccups are mostly treated with non-invasive or pharmacological therapies. If these therapies fail, invasive methods should be used. Here, we present a patient on whom we performed a blockage of the phrenic nerve with the guidance of a nerve stimulator. The patient also had pneumothorax as a complication. Three hours after intervention, a tube thoracostomy was performed. One week later, the patient was cured and discharged from the hospital. In conclusion, a stimulator provides the benefit of localizing the phrenic nerve, which leads to diaphragmatic contractions. Patients with thin necks have more risk of pneumothorax during phrenic nerve location.
authors.affiliation: Departmant of Anesthesia and Reanimation, Pain Medicine, Boztepe State Hospital of Ordu, Ordu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serbülent Gökhan
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Beyaz
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tüfek
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tokgöz
authors.forename: Haktan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karaman