Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42354289›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2026

The Stellate Ganglion Block for PTSD: A Retrospective Clinical Case Series.

Michael Hollifield, Jennifer Lai-Trzebiatowski, Michael Alkire, Tyler C Smith, Christine J Eickhoff, Nima Fahimian, Rostam Khoshsar, Rajika Tobey, Staci Becker, Rossean C Rossel and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Michael HollifieldTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6576-8673
Jennifer Lai-TrzebiatowskiTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8330-7320
Michael AlkireTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Tyler C SmithDepartment of Health Services and Leadership, School of Health Professions, National University, San Diego, CA 92107, USA.
Christine J EickhoffThe Veterans Health Administration, National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships, Washington, DC 20420, USA.
Nima FahimianTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Rostam KhoshsarTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Rajika TobeyTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Staci BeckerTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Rossean C RosselTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Sarah MadisonTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Patrick WuTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Amy TreadwellTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-0572-1133
Christopher ReistTibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1198-6082

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesExtant data suggest that the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) is effective for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinical data from a large healthcare system are lacking. We report data from a clinical project in the Veterans Health Administration.

methodsRetrospective data of PTSD and anxiety for 579 patients who received one or more SGBs were analyzed on the full sample and on those who had complete data using general linear models.

resultsReceiving the first SGB provided a 36% and 30% reduction in PTSD symptom scores at 1-week and 1-month post-SGB, respectively. Those who received 2-4+ SGBs showed lower pre-SGB PTSD symptom scores and trends for lower scores at 1-week and 1-month post-SGB. Overall, 78% and 71% of patients had a reliable (Δ ≥ -5 points) change and 68% and 60% had a clinically meaningful (Δ ≥ -10 points) change in PTSD symptom scores from pre-SGB to 1-week and 1-month post-SGB, respectively. There were clinically meaningful reductions for anxiety in 51.5% and 48.3% at 1-week and 1-month post-SGB, respectively.

conclusionsThese data corroborate existing data about the benefit of SGB for PTSD and anxiety and are unique in showing an association between repeat SGBs and lower PTSD symptoms at subsequent baseline.

Indexed as

Autonomic Nerve BlockStellate GanglionStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAdultAgedAnxietyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment Outcomeneuromodulationposttraumatic stress disorderPTSDstellate ganglion block

Identifiers

PMID42354289
PMCPMC13299989

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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.