Trial reportEuropean radiology2013
CT-guided stellate ganglion blockade vs. radiofrequency neurolysis in the management of refractory type I complex regional pain syndrome of the upper limb.
Trial report in European radiology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03152487 (Randomized Trial Comparing Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Radiofrequency Ablation vs.Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Celiac Plexus Neurolysis in the Alleviation of Abdominal Pain in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer), which is not on this map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Randomized Trial Comparing Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Radiofrequency Ablation vs.Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Celiac Plexus Neurolysis in the Alleviation of Abdominal Pain in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Local anaesthetic sympathetic blockade for complex regional pain syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Anatomy, Imaging, and Clinical Significance of the Cervicothoracic (Stellate) Ganglion.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Indication and Technical Consideration for Nerve Blocks and Neurolysis for Pain Control.Cardiovascular and interventional radiology · 2025Review
- Common Cryoneurolysis Targets in Pain Management: Indications, Critical Anatomy, and Potential Complications.Seminars in interventional radiology · 2025Review
- Acupoint Catgut Embedding at Stellate Ganglion Combined with Oral Mecobalamin Versus Mecobalamin Monotherapy in Managing Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity: A Clinical Observational Study.International journal of general medicine · 2025Article
- Investigation of Optimal Needle Position for Radiofrequency Ablation-Based Blockade of Interspace between the Popliteal Artery and the Posterior Capsule of the Knee: A Cadaveric Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Article
- FactFinders for patient safety: Preventing local anesthetic-related complications: Local anesthetic chondrotoxicity and stellate ganglion blocks.Interventional pain medicine · 2023Article
- Visualizing stellate ganglion with US imaging for guided SGB treatment: A feasibility study with healthy adults.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- Review
- Letter to the Editor: Radiofrequency Treatment-Newer Modes and Long-term Effects.Pain and therapy · 2021Article
- Chronic refractory angina pectoris treated by bilateral stereotactic radiosurgical stellate ganglion ablation: first-in-man case report.European heart journal. Case reports · 2021Article
- Interventional Radiofrequency Treatment for the Sympathetic Nervous System: A Review Article.Pain and therapy · 2021Review
- Stellate Ganglion Blockade: an Intervention for the Management of Ventricular Arrhythmias.Current hypertension reports · 2020Review
- CT-Guided Stellate Ganglion Pulsed Radiofrequency Stimulation for Facial and Upper Limb Postherpetic Neuralgia.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2019Article
- Global Approach to the Patient with Pain in Interventional Radiology.Seminars in interventional radiology · 2018Review
- Detection of the Stellate and Thoracic Sympathetic Chain Ganglia with High-Resolution 3D-CISS MR Imaging.AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology · 2018Observational
- Observational
- A simplified CT-guided approach for greater occipital nerve infiltration in the management of occipital neuralgia.European radiology · 2015Article
- [Interventional pain therapy. Results of a survey among specialized pain physicians in Germany].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2014Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe and evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of CT-guided radiofrequency neurolysis (RFN) vs. local blockade of the stellate ganglion in the management of chronic refractory type I complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) of the upper limb.
methodsSixty-seven patients were included in this retrospective study between 2000 and 2011. All suffered from chronic upper limb type I CRPS refractory to conventional pain therapies. Thirty-three patients underwent stellate ganglion blockade and 34 benefited from radiofrequency neurolysis of the stellate ganglion. CT guidance was used in both groups. The procedure was considered effective when pain relief was ≥50 %, lasting for at least 2 years.
resultsThirty-nine women (58.2 %) and 28 men (41.8 %) with a mean age of 49.5 years were included in the study. Univariate analysis performed on the blockade and RFN groups showed a significantly (P < 0.0001) higher success rate in the RFN group (67.6 %, 23/34) compared with the blockade group (21.2 %, 7/33) with an odds ratio of 7.76.
conclusionCT-guided radiofrequency neurolysis of the stellate ganglion is a safe and successful treatment of chronic refractory type I CRPS of the upper limb. It appears to be more effective than stellate ganglion blockade. KEY POINTS: • Complex regional pain syndrome is painful, disabling and often refractory to treatment. • Sixty-seven percent of patients had lasting pain relief (2 years) after radiofrequency neurolysis. • Retrospective study showed a significantly higher success rate for radiofrequency neurolysis. • CT guidance is mandatory for a successful and safe procedure.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.