Comparison of the clinical implications of stellate ganglion block versus interlaminar cervical epidural deposition of steroid and local anesthetic in the treatment of unilateral cervical radicular pain

Objective: To demonstrate through electronic chart review that the same analgesic efficacy reported in patients with unilateral cervical radicular pain undergoing ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block versus fluoroscopy-guided epidural depot can be obtained. Material And Methods: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study, carried out from March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2024, through the medical records of patients who met the inclusion criteria. For the descriptive analysis, frequencies and percentages were used for qualitative variables and for quantitative variables, measures of central tendency and dispersion. The inferential analysis was carried out with the Wilcoxon test. Results: 10 patients were divided into two groups, the first group consisting of three patients undergoing stellate ganglion block and the second with 7 individuals undergoing cervical epidural steroid deposition, who met the inclusion criteria and showed improvement in pain control with lower use of daily oral morphine doses and a high satisfaction scale. Conclusions: There was a decrease in the daily oral morphine dose and a positive satisfaction scale in the two groups of patients undergoing pain intervention, as well as a decrease in neuropathic symptoms, thus opening a new interventional option for the control of cervical radicular pain. Keywords: Unilateral cervical radicular pain, stellate ganglion block, epidural steroid depot