What diseases can be treated with stellate ganglion block?

  In recent years, many studies have been conducted on the mechanism of action of stellate ganglion block. The results of these studies indicate that the action of stellate ganglion block involves the vegetative nervous system, the endocrine system and the immune system, and has a mediating effect on the functions of these systems. The block helps to maintain the stability of the body’s internal environment and allows the correction of many phytonadic disorders.  For example, this method has been used to treat primary hypertension and hypotension, hypothermia and hypothermia, hyperhidrosis and anhidrosis, weight gain or loss, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, erythrodysesthesia and cyanosis, narcolepsy and insomnia, hyperphagia and refusal to eat or loss of appetite, etc., to normalize the disordered functions with good results.  It is believed that the effects of stellate ganglion block have central and peripheral effects, and its function is to maintain the stability of the internal environment through the hypothalamus, so that the body’s plant nervous function, endocrine function and immune function can be normalized. and nociceptive conduction are also inhibited.  This peripheral effect has been used to treat a number of disorders of the head, upper extremities, shoulders, heart and lungs. As research on the stellate ganglion progresses, there is reason to believe that it could become an important clinical treatment in the 21st century.  The stellate ganglion, also known as the cervicothoracic sympathetic ganglion, consists primarily of the fusion of the 7th and 8th sympathetic ganglia and the 1st thoracic sympathetic ganglion, and is the main sympathetic ganglion innervating the head, face, neck, upper chest and upper extremities. Stellate ganglion block is one of the most used nerve block methods in pain management. According to Japanese statistics, stellate ganglion block is used in 88% of patients in pain outpatient treatment. According to the anatomy and physiological function of the stellate ganglion, it has been applied to treat diseases of the head, face, shoulder, arm and chest, and good results have been achieved.  In recent years, it has also been used to treat systemic diseases, making its application more and more widespread. The stellate ganglion is formed by the fusion of cervicothoracic sympathetic ganglia and is star-shaped, hence the name. The stellate ganglion is located in front of the transverse processes of the cervical 7 and thoracic 1 vertebrae. Its physiological functions are: increased cardiac contractility; vasoconstriction; increased heart rate; increased blood pressure; bronchodilation; pupil dilation; increased blood glucose, etc. And stellate ganglion tissue can reduce sympathetic response.  Stellate ganglion block can block the sympathetic preganglionic and postganglionic fibers near the block site, so the cardiovascular movement, glandular secretion, muscle tone, bronchial contraction and nerve fibers transmitting nociception under the innervation of these sympathetic ganglia can be blocked, which can improve the circulatory disorder, nociceptive hypersensitivity and abnormal sweating caused by sympathetic overexcitation.  Anatomical studies of stellate ganglia have revealed that the preganglionic fibers projecting to the stellate ganglia are ipsilateral, but the postganglionic fibers project not only to the ipsilateral but also to the contralateral tissue. There are complex nerve fiber connections between cervical sympathetic ganglia and sensory nerve projections coming in from the stellate ganglia. Stellate ganglion block can affect the release of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters in the ganglion, and not only sympathetic ganglia and preganglionic and postganglionic fibers, but also sensory nerves terminating in the stellate ganglion can be blocked.