title: Clinical usefulness of pectoral nerve block for the management of zoster-associated pain: case reports and technical description.
abstract: The recently introduced pectoral nerve (Pecs) block is a simple alterative to the conventional thoracic paravertebral block or epidural block for breast surgery. It produces excellent analgesia and can be used to provide balanced anesthesia and as a rescue block in cases where performing a neuraxial blockade is not possible. In the thoracic region, a neuraxial blockade is often used to manage zoster-associated pain. However, this can be challenging for physicians due to the increased risk of hemodynamic instability in the upper thoracic level, and comorbid and contraindicated medical conditions such as coagulopathy. Here, we introduce an ultrasound-guided Pecs block for the management of herpes zoster-associated pain, which could be an effective alternative to other interventional options in the thoracic region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Wonkwang Institute of Science, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon-Dong
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Wonkwang Institute of Science, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seon-Jeong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Seonam University College of Medicine, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Junho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Seonam University College of Medicine, Jeonju, Republic of Korea. ingwei2475@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hyungtae
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2488-9986
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013900:Thoracic Nerves; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Herpes zoster; Nerve block; Pectoral nerve; Thoracic nerve; Ultrasound