The effectiveness of the erector spinae plane block using methylprednisolone and bupivacaine in post-herpetic neuralgia: Case series

Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common chronic complication of herpes zoster and the most common pain syndrome associated with infections. There are medical and interventional treatment options in PHN, and some patients may be resistant to the preferred medical treatments. This situation negatively affects the quality of life of the patient. Interventional treatments come to the fore, especially in patients in whom medical treatments are not sufficient, and systemic side effects such as hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity occur. Erector spinal plane block (ESPB) is a recently described ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia technique. It is especially used to prevent post-operative pain due to trunk surgeries. In this study, ESPB was administered with methylprednisolone and bupivacaine in five patients who developed PHN after thoracic herpes zoster and did not have an expected response to three-month medical treatments. Pain severity was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale. We want to emphasize that ESPB, which is applied with steroids and anesthetics, is a speedy and longacting treatment option that increases the quality of life of the patient, has low side effects, and is a cost-effective treatment option.

Superficial Cervical Plexus Block for Retro-auricular Mass Excision in a Patient with High Risk of General Anesthesia: A Case Report

The surgical procedure of lipomas is performed under local, regional, or general anaesthesia depending on the location, number, and size of the lipoma. Anaesthesia can be achieved with a superficial cervical plexus block in the short-term surgery of soft tissue lesions in the dermatome areas of the lesser occipital nerve and great auricular nerve. In this article, we presented a high-risk patient with comorbid diseases and difficult airway who underwent superficial cervical plexus block for retro-auricular lipoma excision.