Trial reportAnnals of medicine2022
A prospective randomized comparison of the efficacy of standard antiviral therapy versus ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block for acute herpes zoster.
Trial report in Annals of medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of nerve block strategies for preventing postherpetic neuralgia in thoracic herpes zoster: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Analgesic Efficacy of Thoracoscopic Direct-View Versus Ultrasound-Guided Thoracic Paravertebral Block in Multi-Port Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Lung Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Non-Inferiority Study.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Trial
- [StagingZhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2026Review
- Efficacy of Tender Point Infiltrations (TPI) in Patients with Acute and Subacute Zoster-Associated Pain: Study Protocol for a Randomized, Prospective, Multicenter, Blinded Endpoint, Open-Label Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve blocks for acute zoster pain: a retrospective, propensity score-matched, non-inferiority study.Journal of ultrasonography · 2025Article
- A simple sonographic approach to thoracic transforaminal epidural injections for zoster-associated pain involving multiple nerves: an exploratory prospective cohort study.Korean journal of anesthesiology · 2025Article
- Ultrasound-Guided Thoracic Paravertebral Injection of Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Thoracic Herpes Zoster-Related Pain: A Study Protocol.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- Assessment of ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve block for acute herpes zoster and its' possible prophylaxis for postherpetic neuralgia: a retrospective and case-controlled trial.The Korean journal of pain · 2024Article
- Ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral injection of dexamethasone palmitate combined with ropivacaine for the treatment of thoracic herpes zoster-related pain: protocol for a prospective, randomized controlled, single-center study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Long-Term Follow-Up of Ultrasound-Guided Glossopharyngeal Nerve Block Treatment for Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia: A Retrospective Clinical Study of 43 Cases.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Non-oral pharmacological interventions in the management of herpes zoster-related pain: a review of current research.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Ultrasound-Guided Thoracic Paravertebral Block Using Paraventricular Oblique Sagittal (POS) Approach for the Treatment of Acute Herpes Zoster: A Two-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Pain and therapy · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of repetitive thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) under ultrasound (US) guidance for acute pain associated to herpes zoster (HZ) and its prophylactic effects on post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).
methodsPatients who suffered from acute pain associated to HZ within 1 week of rash onset were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to receive a seven-day course antiviral therapy, antiviral therapy with additional US-guided repetitive TPVB using transverse short axial (TSA) approach every 48 h for a week after antiviral therapy. All patients were allowed to receive rescue analgesics. The primary endpoint was HZ burden of illness (HZ-BOI) measured by a severity-by-duration composite pain assessment conducted 1-month post inclusion. Adverse events were also recorded.
resultsA total of 96 patients completed the entire 6-month follow-up. The BOI-30
conclusionsUS-guided repetitive TPVB significantly reduced the HZ-BOI and the PHN incidence compared to antiviral therapy alone. It might be considered as an early intervention and preventive strategy to the development of PHN after acute HZ.KEY MESSAGEThis is a prospective randomized comparative study. We made a hypothesis that US-guided repetitive thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) using a transverse short axial (TSA) approach to treat thoracic herpes zoster (HZ) in acute phase could reduce the burden of illness associated to acute pain. Moreover, this therapy might be a feasible preventive strategy to reduce the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia.
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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.